Southern California Edison (SCE) announced the launch of a project to place 250 megawatts of solar panel capacity on company buildings in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.  The project hopes to add 1 megawatts of capacity each week of the 5 year project. The project is expected to cost nearly $900 million dollars, based on current estimates.  SCE points out that by scattering the installations throughout their service area and connecting directly to local sub stations, this project will reduce transmission related power loss and reduce stress on the regional grid. 

“Not only does this project bring carbon free energy, it also is likely to generate several million dollars a year in CO2 offset credits for SCE”, 4Offsets CEO Fred Weiss noted when interviewed on this news.  Assuming that these panels generate full power for 10 hours a day 300 days a year, which is likely in this desert location, the project will generate approximately 300,000 tons of offsets each year.  “When you add it up, it’s about $2 million worth of US voluntary credits or $12 million if credits are sold in Europe. This is a great example of how offsets can cause real change by providing investors with a better return”, Mr. Weiss added.