New Solar Energy Project To Power 100K San Mateo County Homes

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — More than 100,000 homes in San Mateo County will be powered by a new solar energy project that came online earlier this month, Peninsula Clean Energy announced Wednesday.

The project is the largest of its kind ever built for a community energy agency, project organizers said. The power is supplied by Wright Solar Project, a solar installation recently built in Merced County.

The project is billed as an "aggressive movement toward 100 percent carbon-free power," Peninsula Clean Energy said in a news release. Under the agreement, the agency will buy all of Wright Solar's electricity for the next 25 years.

The Wright Solar project was constructed over 11 months starting in October 2018 by 400 workers from the surrounding area, officials said.

In November, four community energy groups including Peninsula Clean Energy said they would join forces to create a new backup power system that could stay running in the event of future public safety power shutoffs during fire season.