Solar station powers up

Feb 25 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Alex K.W. Schultz The Porterville Recorder, Calif.

Years of planning, hard work and anticipation were reduced to a single turn of a dial.

As a small switch was turned Thursday in west Porterville, the state's largest utility-owned solar voltaic station was connected to the Central Valley power grid.

The plant's 29,426 panels, which cover 32 acres of land west of the Porterville Municipal Airport and are owned by Southern California Edison, can generate 5 million watts of energy at peak capacity -- enough power to serve 3,250 homes.

The station connects directly to the utility's neighborhood power circuits and serves all SCE customers in the region.

"First steps are incredible," said Mayor Ron Irish, who spoke of how societies have continually progressed over time.

Cameras clicked as Dan Breig, SCE's director of project development, turned the switch. During his speech, Breig was pleased to say the project created 125 jobs.

"It's nice to see a project right here in our own back yard," said Justin Stoner, district director for Assemblywoman Connie Conway.

Discussions between the city and SCE began two years ago, City Manager John Lollis said.

SCE originally was interested in a 40-acre piece of land immediately east of the current site, but timeline constraints forced the utility to look elsewhere.

The actual site was approved by the City Council last summer, and SCE broke ground Oct. 31.

The lease agreement says SCE will annually pay the city $72,792 in quarterly installments of $18,198, Economic Development Associate Linda Wammack said.

"It's a win-win," Irish said.

He said the money will help the city pursue more economic development options.

David Chiang, SCE's project construction manager, spoke of how the system works.

Photovoltaic cells on the panels convert sun-produced energy into electricity in direct current, or DC, form.

Fourteen-panel "strings" direct the power into an inverter, where the energy is converted to alternating, or AC, form.

The inverter inverts 600 volts DC into 208 volts AC, which are transported to a transformer and powered to 12,000 volts AC.

The 12,000 volts AC are fed to the distribution grid, which is responsible for directing power to SCE's customers.

Juan Garcia, Kyle Hicks and Everett Hooker, all members of Porterville High School's Alternative Energy Resource Occupations, said the presentation was informative.

It was the juniors' second trip out to the plant.

"It's pretty much the future," Hicks said.