Santa Clara Earns Top National Ranking For Solar Installations
SANTA CLARA (KCBS) - You could call it the hottest thing under the sun - solar power, and it's red hot in Santa Clara.
Silicon Valley Power, Santa Clara's municipal electric utility, more than doubled its solar installations last year. That earned the utility the number one ranking in the U.S. by the Solar Electric Power Association.
"We're excited to be at the top," enthused acting Assistant City Manager Carol McCarthy. "And we want to continue to lead the nation in solar installs."
Santa Clara is one of only a handful of Bay Area cities that doesn't rely on PG&E for electricity.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
"Santa Clara's had an electric utility for more than 100 years but our commitment to solar goes back to the 1970s, we were one of the first agencies in California to have a solar electric utility," explained McCarthy.
Close to 2 megawatts of solar were installed in Santa Clara last year, which is enough to power more than 2,000 homes.
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