news

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced that its 2011 solicitation for new supplies of renewable energy brought in more than 300 offers, a new record for the utility. PG&E's energy procurement staff are reviewing them closely to determine the most viable and cost-effective projects to meet customers' long-term clean-energy needs. Since 2002, PG&E has signed more than 110 contracts for about 10,000 megawatts of renewable power.

PG&E now expects to be able to meet California's Renewables Portfolio Standard, which requires all retail sellers of electricity to deliver 33 percent of their electricity by 2020 from eligible renewable resources like wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and small hydroelectric. The utility is on track to reach 20 percent this year. Along with large hydro and nuclear power, PG&E reports that it now typically gets more than half of its electricity from sources that are essentially carbon-free. Once PG&E determines which of the new offers best suit its customers' needs for clean energy, it will engage selected developers in negotiations, with the goal of submitting executed contracts to the California Public Utilities Commission by mid-year for review.