A 945-kilowatt solar system that was switched on today will provide enough energy to run the pumps at the Otay Mesa water treatment plant during the day.
The system was installed by SunEdison at no cost to the city, according to the company and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders' office. The city will purchase the power from SunEdison for about half of what it would cost to buy it from a utility.
It is the second solar system agreement the city has entered into with SunEdison. In 2007, a 1.1-megawatt system was activated at the Alvarado water treatment plant.
"San Diego has more power generated by the sun than any other California city," Sanders said. "Large-scale municipal projects like this one show our continued commitment to renewable energy and its benefits both for our environment and the taxpayers."
The city plans to install enough solar panels at its facilities to ultimately generate 5 megawatts of electricity.
