500 Temporary Jobs Created by SCE's Solar Projects in the Inland Empire

Media Contact: Gil Alexander, (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Nov.18, 2010 – Southern California Edison (SCE) today announced that a solar power plant it has constructed on top of a 436,000-square-foot facility in Rialto, Calif. owned by an affiliate of AMB Property Corporation is now online and providing clean generation to Inland Empire customers.

Power from the 16,300 advanced solar panels installed on the Rialto warehouse is connected directly to the utility’s nearest neighborhood circuit and benefits all customers.

“This project is part of Southern California Edison’s ongoing capital investment in clean generation and smart grid technologies to meet our customers’ future energy needs,” said Alan Fohrer, the utility’s chairman and chief executive officer.

“Completing this project with Southern California Edison has allowed us to maximize benefits and minimize exposure by working with an experienced utility that shares our commitment to renewable energy in one of AMB's core markets,” said Aaron Binkley, AMB's director of Sustainability. “This project will become a model for future solar opportunities that allow AMB to benefit our shareholders and the environment.”

The utility completed similar installations in Fontana and Chino during the past two years. The three solar plants have a combined peak generating capacity of 4 million watts or enough power to serve 2,600 average homes. Ten additional solar plants will be constructed in the Ontario area and are expected online by the end of the year. These thirteen Inland Empire solar installations are creating approximately 500 temporary construction jobs.

During the next four years, Southern California Edison plans to install a total of 250 million watts of solar generation at up to 100 Southern and Central California sites. The utility also plans to sign power purchase agreements with independent producers for an equal amount of solar generation. The entire solar program is expected to create the equivalent of approximately 1,200 full time jobs per year.

Related Information

  • The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, one of SCE’s solar project partners, is supporting the utility’s solar project through the expansion of its solar installation apprentice training program.
  • The company’s new solar plants are being installed in areas where customer demand is rising.
  • The installations will speed up California’s deployment of solar generation while major new renewable energy transmission lines are being built such as SCE’s 4,500 megawatt Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project.
  • SCE grid engineers are studying the electrical effects of a high penetration of photovoltaics on distribution circuits and adapting circuits to accommodate these large installations. The information gained will be shared with the power industry.

About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

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Third Rooftop Power Plant in Southern California Edison’s Large Solar Power Project Now Online in Rialto