California Electric Utility Regulators Advance Space-based Solar Power Plan

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last Thursday (December 3, 2009) approved a renewable energy contract for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), furthering the state's progress towards its renewable energy goals and advancing space-based solar power projects (if successful) in 2016.

Through its power purchase agreement with Solaren Corporation, PG&E is entitled to generation from a first-of-its kind space-based solar project. The experimental technology uses orbiting satellites equipped with solar cells to convert the sun's energy into electricity, which is then converted into radio frequency energy that can be transmitted to a local receiver station.

California-based Solaren Corporation anticipates 1,700 gigawatt-hours of energy per year throughout the 15-year contract term beginning in 2016 at a facility in Fresno County. While an experimental project is unique for the state's Renewables Portfolio Standard program, the CPUC approved the agreement because it is consistent with the state's objective of increasing its reliance on a diverse supply of renewable energy resources and of supporting renewable technologies at reasonable costs and risks to ratepayers.