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•           From Bakersfield to Chico, solar is ‘in’
•           ‘The story of solar power in California is almost a Central Valley story ’

California is one of the leading states when it comes to generating power with rooftop solar systems – and the Central Valley is leading the state, says a researcher who has just published a study of the top solar cities in California. “The story of solar power in California is almost a Central Valley story,” says Bernadette Del Chiaro, clean energy advocate with the Environment California Research & Policy Center, which describes itself as “a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization.” “Today, places like Bakersfield have more solar power than San Francisco and Fresno has more than Los Angeles,” she says.

As of this January, there were some 50,000 solar roofs in California, generating a total of 500 megawatts of power, the report says. That compares to just 500 solar roofs ten years ago. “If California’s solar market experiences a similar rate of growth over the coming ten years, approximately 45 percent to 50 percent of compound annual growth, the state will be on track to meet its million solar roofs goal by the start of 2017,” says the report. The tipping point between solar and convention power is rapidly approaching the report says, with the price of solar power dropping to close to that of buying electricity off the grid.

Ms. Del Chiaro says the cities with the greatest amount of solar power today include San Diego with 2,262 solar roofs totaling 19,427 kilowatts, Los Angeles with 1,388 solar roofs totaling 13,000 kilowatts, San Francisco with 1,350 solar roofs totaling 7,050 kilowatts, “and, surprisingly not far behind, are the cities of Fresno, Bakersfield and Clovis with more than 700 solar roofs each.” “The vast majority of California’s solar electric systems are on single family homes, typically as a retrofit project to an existing home,” says the report. “However, the number of California businesses, farms, schools, and government buildings hosting solar photovoltaic systems is on the rise, as is the number of new housing developments incorporating solar power into the home during construction.”

The report says that for California to reach its “million solar roofs” goal in ten years, all levels of government must embrace solar power and play an active role in bringing about “a mainstream, self-sufficient solar power market.” “The Central Valley is really changing the face of solar power. It’s no longer this ‘Malibu millionaire’ – it’s farmers and firehouses and average, everyday people embracing solar power as the solution,” says Ms. Del Chiaro.

Click here to listen or download  (solar.mp3, 4.86 MB)

http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=12647