Project of the Week: Westside Solar Station

Part of PG&E’s utility-owned PV generation, Westside is the first in a series of featured projects

Shayle Kann September 07, 2011

Shayle Kann

Senior Vice President, Greentech Media & Head of GTM Research
Greentech Media

Shayle Kann leads GTM Research, the market analysis, advisory and consulting division of Greentech Media. GTM Research analyzes and forecasts the dynamics impacting the transformation of the global electricity sector. An expert on next-generation energy, he has presented at conferences around the world, been featured in publications such as The Economist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes, Bloomberg, Reuters, and Financial Times, spoken at Harvard, Yale, MIT and Columbia, and testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Westside Solar Station, a 17.2 MWdc project in Northern California, was 92% complete as of mid-July, according to representative from Pacific Gas & Electric. The project is part of PG&E’s five-year initiative to develop up to 250 MW of utility-owned PV generation. This is the utility’s first direct renewable energy investment in over a decade and is expected to meet approximately 1.3% of PG&E’s electric demand. Cupertino Electric is developing and installing the fixed ground mount system. The solar plant will use Suntech’s multi c-Si modules and Advanced Energy inverters. Other projects included in PG&E’s solar program are the Five Points Solar, Cupertino I & II, and the Stroud Solar Station, all of which are expected online by the end of 2011.