• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Pacific Gas and Electric Company Awards $1.9 Million Solar Rebate to AC Transit

Posted on: Thursday, 2 August 2007, 15:13 CDT

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company today awarded a $1.9 million solar rebate to AC Transit for seven rooftop solar arrays installed at the East Bay Bus System's Oakland and Hayward stations. The solar systems will generate 621 kilowatts of clean renewable energy, the equivalent of powering nearly 500 homes. By installing solar panels, AC Transit will also prevent 285 tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.

"AC Transit is a recognized environmental leader and is playing a key role in protecting the Bay Area's natural heritage," said Brad Whitcomb, Vice President of Customer Products and Services for PG&E. "This company has been an environmental leader in the East Bay, and this partnership fits right in with our recently launched Greening of Oakland efforts and our work to help Hayward businesses reduce their energy use."

Providing AC Transit with a solar rebate is the latest example of PG&E's efforts to help East Bay communities protect the environment. In May, PG&E announced that it will support the City of Oakland's environmental and economic development agenda with as much as $3 million in various programs, grants and incentives over the next three years. The effort, which combines and integrates new and already-available initiatives, will leverage PG&E's expertise in clean energy, energy efficiency and economic development for the benefit of residents and businesses in the City of Oakland.

In February, PG&E worked with a trucking firm and a transportation company on an innovative program to begin replacing aging diesel trucks with cleaner-burning natural gas vehicles in the Port of Oakland to help the Port reduce diesel emissions and support the community of West Oakland's clean air goals. In addition to sharing its expertise on clean energy, the company provided a first-of-its-kind compressed natural gas (CNG) port shuttle truck and an LNG mobile fueling station.

In Hayward, PG&E has worked with city officials and the business community to help 2,000 businesses make their operations more environmentally friendly and more energy efficient. As a result, those businesses have reduced energy consumption by 850 kilowatt hours a year.

With more than 16,000 customer solar interconnections, representing more than 140 megawatts of generation, PG&E is the leading solar utility in the nation. The solar rebate for AC Transit was provided through the Self Generation Incentive Program, which provides rebates to business customers to help offset the costs associated with solar, wind, fuel cell, micro turbine and internal combustion systems. Since its inception in June 2002, PG&E's Self Generation Incentive Program has awarded nearly $200 million in incentives. PG&E is now serving as an administrator of the California Solar Initiative, and can provide up to $950 million in solar rebates over the next decade.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company proudly provides its customers with among the cleanest energy in the nation. On average, over 50% of the energy delivered to its electric customers is carbon free and the company is on track to exceed its renewable energy portfolio of 20 percent under contract or delivered by 2010. Through its leading energy efficiency programs, the company has helped prevent over 125 million tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, while saving its customers nearly $10 billion. PG&E is reducing its own carbon footprint with one of the largest clean air utility fleets in the nation, pioneering the use of natural gas large utility trucks and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Self-Generation Incentive Program, visit http://www.pge.com/selfgen.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

CONTACT: David Eisenhauer, +1-415-973-8011

Web site: http://www.pge.com/

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

More News in this Category