On a recent flight into Los Angeles International Airport, I was struck by what appeared to be a region being virtually consumed by giant warehouses. In fact, if you have flown into any of southern California’s major airports, one thing you may have noticed is that there is no shortage of prime rooftop real estate. And one of the largest utilities in the U.S., Southern California Edison (SCE), is taking advantage of that available real estate with an ambitious project to bring 500 megawatts of new solar capacity onto the grid over a five year period.

In a partnership with San Jose-based solar panel maker SunPower inked just last week, SCE will lease rooftop acreage for 200 MW of new solar PV generating capacity — most of which will come in the form of 1-2 million watt rooftop installations.

Under California law, investor-owned utilities are required to secure 20 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2010 and 33% by 2020.

The payouts to the property owners for their otherwise unused roof space will be nothing to sneeze at either. SCE will lease each roof for about $40,000 per year.

Eventually, the two installation tracks will add a total of 500 megawatts to the solar generating capacity of Southern California’s power resources – making it the largest U.S. photovoltaic program ever undertaken.

“The SunPower cost structure will allow us to meet our commitment to increasing our customers’ supply of renewable energy while reducing the cost of installed solar photovoltaic power in California,” said SCE communications manager Gil Alexander in a phone interview on Friday.

“In other words,” said Alexander, “we have estimated a final cost of $3.50 per installed watt vs. the state average of $7. The SunPower agreement means we are on target to fulfill that commitment.”

SunPower T5 Solar Roof Tiles chosen for light weight, efficiency

For eighty percent of Southern California Edison’s 250MW commitment, the utility opted to purchase the SunPower T5 Solar Roof Tile product. The T5 is one of the lightest products and considering the load bearing characteristics of the roofs are not designed for massive solar installations, overall weight is important.

The T5 was also selected, because its design is ideal for flat or low-slope rooftops. The T5 is made from an engineered glass-filled polymer that is non-reactive, integrating solar panel, frame and roof mounting system into a single unit and eliminating the need for electrical grounding of the array. In essence, the solar tiles require no framing or rack to fasten to the roof, they are the rack. And when you’re talking about installations of 1 million to 2 million watts, efficiency in the installation process is paramount.

SCE’s Alexander estimates “the combined solar project – 250 MW of utility owned and operated generation and 250 MW of independently owned generation under contract to SCE and its customers – will create roughly 1,200 new green jobs in the solar installation industry.”

The request for proposals for the independent “twin track” of 250 MW of independently owned solar PV will begin in a few weeks. After CPUC goes through their review process, contracts and construction would likely begin some time in spring or summer 2011.

Reprinted with permission from EarthandIndustry.com