Pasadena’s Water and Power Expands Solar Power Sourcing with Two Major New Projects

Pasadena’s Department of Water and Power has added two new large scale commercial solar panel projects to its portfolio of renewable, energy-saving programs.

Dubbed “The Antelope Big Sky and Summer Solar Projects” and located in Lancaster, the panels will provided Pasadena Water and Power with 13 megawatts of energy — enough to power over 5,500 homes in the city, according to a statement released to the media.

The solar projects were developed through a joint purchase arrangement between the Southern California Public Power Authority and Pasadena Water and Power, according to Gurcharan Bawa, the Pasadena Water and Power’s interim general manager.

The terms of the agreement include the City of Riverside receiving a 50 percent share of the power output, the City of Pasadena receiving 32.5 percent of the share and the City of Azusa getting 17.5 percent of the total 40 megawatts generated by the two solar panel projects, according to the press release.

The addition of these projects brings Pasadena Water and Power closer to reaching its Power Integrated Resource Plan, which is the long-range blueprint for providing customers with reliable, environmentally responsible electric service, competitive rates and energy independence over the next two decades, according to Pasadena City’s official website.

Within the plan, Pasadena has set a target to increase its renewable energy portfolio to 40 percent by 2020, which is higher than the California average of 33 percent, according to the media statement. The 13 megawatts created by the new solar projects will represent about 2.7 percent of Pasadena Water and Power’s total annual energy supply.

This marks the second time this year that Pasadena commissioned a large scale solar source, according to the media release. Kingbird A, which launched in May, produces 20 megawatts of energy. Combined with the new projects, it will make 20 percent of Pasadena Water and Power’s renewable energy by the end of 2016 and 30 percent by the end of 2017.