On 18 June 2012, California utility San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) announced the completion of the Sunrise Powerlink transmission project (Sunrise). Requiring five years to develop and 18 months to build, the US$1.9 billion, 110 mile, 500 kV line is designed to bring 1.9 GW of renewable power from California's Imperial Valley to San Diego. Of the 1.6 GW of renewable capacity planned for the line, 1.1 GW will come from 13 solar projects in the Imperial Valley scheduled to begin generating power between 2012 and 2015. Eight projects totaling 795 MW are photovoltaic (PV), while five totaling 304 MW are concentrated photovoltaic (CPV). The remaining capacity is dedicated to wind power. The power purchase agreements (PPAs) for all of the Sunrise-connecting projects have been approved by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC). The line is an important milestone for SDG&E in meeting California's 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by 2020. Key trends in this On Point include: Sunrise solidifies SDG&E's renewable procurement strategy. Sunrise removes last major hurdle for Imperial Valley solar projects. Advancing transmission construction lowers failure risks for large PV projects in California.
On 18 June 2012, California utility San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) announced the completion of the Sunrise Powerlink transmission project (Sunrise). Requiring five years to develop and 18 months to build, the US$1.9 billion, 110 mile, 500 kV line is designed to bring 1.9 GW of renewable power from California's Imperial Valley to San Diego. Of the 1.6 GW of renewable capacity planned for the line, 1.1 GW will come from 13 solar projects in the Imperial Valley scheduled to begin generating power between 2012 and 2015. Eight projects totaling 795 MW are photovoltaic (PV), while five totaling 304 MW are concentrated photovoltaic (CPV). The remaining capacity is dedicated to wind power. The power purchase agreements (PPAs) for all of the Sunrise-connecting projects have been approved by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC). The line is an important milestone for SDG&E in meeting California's 33% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) by 2020. Key trends in this On Point include: