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Pasadena adds more solar megawatts toward carbon-free goal
Sustainability Dec 14, 2024
The Grace Orchard Solar III project in Blythe. | Photo courtesy of the city of Pasadena
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The electricity grid in Pasadena will get another 50 megawatts of solar power generated in the Inland Empire, city officials announced Thursday.
On Oct. 28 the City Council approved a nearly $137.2 million contract with the Grace Orchard Solar III project, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, which is “one of the largest wind and solar energy generators and a world leader in battery energy storage,” according to the city.
The Grace Orchard Solar III project located near Blythe is a photovoltaic facility that generates 170 MW, officials said. The 20-year contract with Pasadena calls for electricity delivery by 2028. The deal involved the Pasadena Water and Power Department along with Anaheim and Colton and the Southern California Public Power Authority.
The SCPPA is a joint powers authority that aims to help PWP and other municipal members reduce energy costs.
“The Grace Orchard Solar III project is another exciting addition to our growing energy portfolio,” PWP Interim General Manager David Reyes said in a statement. “Together with the Pasadena City Council and the local community, we will be leaders in the clean energy transition.”
This latest solar power pact “marks another measure of progress toward achieving the goals set by the Pasadena City Council through Resolution 9977, which aims to source 100% of Pasadena’s electricity from carbon-free sources by the end of 2030,” officials said. Other solar deals approved this year include contracts for over 120 MW and a utility-scale battery storage system.
The Grace Orchard project also provides replacement energy for existing energy facility contracts that are terminating in 2027, according to the city.
