California and Oregon Organizations Install Large Solar Plants

January 5, 2005

Aerial photo of an orchard grove with a large swatch of blue solar panels cutting through it.

The Seley Ranches installation is the largest solar water-pumping project in the world.
Credit: WorldWater & Power Corp.

Companies and government organizations in California have literally racked up a huge number of solar panels in recent weeks. In Fairfield, midway between Sacramento and San Francisco, the new Solano County Government Center features two solar power systems—provided by PowerLight Corporation—that generate a total of 340 kilowatts of power. In Colfax, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, Felix Electric installed a 145-kilowatt solar power system at Hill Flat Lumber Company, using solar modules from RWE SCHOTT Solar Inc. And in Borrego Springs, just west of the Salton Sea in southern California, WorldWater & Power Corporation installed a 267-kilowatt solar power system to drive a 200-horsepower irrigation system at the Seley Ranches citrus orchard. See the press releases from PowerLight, RWE SCHOTT Solar, and WorldWater.

Finally—just to prove that California doesn't have a monopoly on large solar power systems—Pepsi Cola of Klamath Falls, Oregon, installed 172 kilowatts of solar power at three locations, including a 132-kilowatt system integrated into the company's main office and warehouse. Pacific Power, a PacifiCorp company, supported the project by buying green tags for its Oregon Blue Sky customers and is also providing net metering, which allows the company to earn credit for power fed back into the electrical grid. See the PacifiCorp press release.