Background

Niland boasts some of the best solar resources in the world. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the photovoltaic solar resource ranges between 6 and 6.5 kWh/m2/day.

Under California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) electric service providers regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission must achieve goals of 20% of retails sales from
renewables by the end of 2013, 25% by the end of 2016, and the 33% by the end of 2020. In 2013, natural gas was the largest single fuel power source for California, accounting for 61.1% of total installed capacity, followed by other renewables at 17.1%, hydroelectric
generation at 11.7%, nuclear at 9.3%, and coal at 0.8%. The SunPeak 2 solar project will help support compliance with this standard.

The energy generated by the solar park will be purchased by IID, which serves more than 148,500 electricity customers in all ofImperial County and parts of Riverside and San Diego Counties.

Description

The project consists of designing, building and operating a 20- megawatt (MWAC) solar park using polycrystalline photovoltaic modules with a capacity of between 295 and 305 watts each. It will be constructed on 159 acres of leased land located within the irrigation district and adjacent to the first SunPeak project. The project also includes the construction of a 2,700-foot, 92-kV overhead transmission line to interconnect with the Niland Substation.

Benefits

The project will displace greenhouse gases produced by traditional fossil-fuel based energy generation and thus improve air quality, while providing the citizens of Imperial County with a safe, reliable energy alternative. Estimated emission improvements include the displacement of over 12,748 metric tons/year of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 19 metric tons/year of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The project is expected to generate electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of approximately 7,200 households.