http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/ Edison International - Latest News Releases! en-us Copyright 2009 Edison International. All Rights Reserved. 1/7/2009 2:57:33 AM 5 http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/ http://wwwt.edison.com/remote/images/Logo-top.gif 160 62 Edison International - Latest News Releases! http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=6418 <P>Will convert 65 million square feet of unused roofs into solar generating stations</P> <P>ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 27, 2008 – Southern California Edison (SCE) today launched the nation’s largest solar cell installation, a project that will place 250 megawatts of advanced photovoltaic generating technology on 65 million square feet of roofs of Southern California commercial buildings – enough power to serve approximately 162,000 homes.</P> <P>“These are the kinds of big ideas we need to meet California’s long-term energy and climate change goals,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I urge others to follow in their footsteps. If commercial buildings statewide partnered with utilities to put this solar technology on their rooftops, it would set off a huge wave of renewable energy growth.” </P> <P>“This project will turn two square miles of unused commercial rooftops into advanced solar generating stations,” said John E. Bryson, Edison International chairman and CEO. “We hope to have the first solar rooftops in service by August. The sunlight power will be available to meet our largest challenge – peak load demands on the hottest days.”</P> <P>SCE’s renewable energy project was prompted by recent advances in solar technology that reduce the cost of installed photovoltaic generation. When combined with the size of SCE’s investment, the resulting costs per unit are projected to be half that of common photovoltaic installations in California.</P> <P>“The scale of this project is unprecedented,” said Mike Peevey, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) president. “It clearly illustrates once again Edison’s leadership position in the development of new renewable technology.”</P> <P>SCE today asked the CPUC for approval to install the solar cell technology during the next five years. The request estimates the total project cost will be $875 million (in today’s dollars). </P> <P>The utility plans to begin installation work immediately on commercial roofs in Southern California’s Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the nation’s fastest growing urban region.&nbsp; </P> <P>“These new solar stations, which we will be installing at a rate of one megawatt a week, will provide a new source of clean energy, directly in the fast-growing regions where we need it most,” said Bryson.</P> <P>SCE sees numerous customer benefits from its new solar program, among them locating the new generation in areas of growing customer demand. And the clusters of solar modules SCE plans to install will be connected directly to the nearest neighborhood circuit, eliminating the need to build new transmission lines to bring the power to customers. Additionally, solar units produce the most power when customer usage is at its highest.</P> <P>SCE believes its commercial solar roofs program will boost several California environmental initiatives, especially the Million Solar Roofs program that provides incentives to encourage Californians to install solar projects by 2017. SCE’s solar program supports the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, as well as California’s renewable portfolio standard requiring that 20 percent of the state’s electricity be generated with renewable energy by 2010.</P> <P>How It Works<BR>Solar cells are made of materials that convert sunlight directly into electricity through a chemical process.</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>A thin semiconductor wafer is treated to form an electric field – positive on one side and negative on the other side. <BR>When light strikes the cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms of the material creating the current. <BR>Wires are attached to the positive and negative sides to carry the electricity from the cell to the device to be powered.<BR>Media Contact: Gil Alexander, (626) 302-2255<BR><A href="http://www.edisonnews.com">www.edisonnews.com</A></P> <P>Investor Relations Contact: Scott Cunningham, (626) 302-2540<BR><A href="http://www.edisoninvestor.com">www.edisoninvestor.com</A></P> <P>Video and high-resolution photos available at: <BR><A href="http://www.sce.com/solarevent">www.sce.com/solarevent</A></P> <P># # #</P> <P>An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Will convert 65 million square feet of unused roofs into solar generating stations</P> <P>ROSEMEAD, Calif., March 27, 2008 – Southern California Edison (SCE) today launched the nation’s largest solar cell installation, a project that will place 250 megawatts of advanced photovoltaic generating technology on 65 million square feet of roofs of Southern California commercial buildings – enough power to serve approximately 162,000 homes.</P> <P>“These are the kinds of big ideas we need to meet California’s long-term energy and climate change goals,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I urge others to follow in their footsteps. If commercial buildings statewide partnered with utilities to put this solar technology on their rooftops, it would set off a huge wave of renewable energy growth.” </P> <P>“This project will turn two square miles of unused commercial rooftops into advanced solar generating stations,” said John E. Bryson, Edison International chairman and CEO. “We hope to have the first solar rooftops in service by August. The sunlight power will be available to meet our largest challenge – peak load demands on the hottest days.”</P> <P>SCE’s renewable energy project was prompted by recent advances in solar technology that reduce the cost of installed photovoltaic generation. When combined with the size of SCE’s investment, the resulting costs per unit are projected to be half that of common photovoltaic installations in California.</P> <P>“The scale of this project is unprecedented,” said Mike Peevey, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) president. “It clearly illustrates once again Edison’s leadership position in the development of new renewable technology.”</P> <P>SCE today asked the CPUC for approval to install the solar cell technology during the next five years. The request estimates the total project cost will be $875 million (in today’s dollars). </P> <P>The utility plans to begin installation work immediately on commercial roofs in Southern California’s Inland Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, the nation’s fastest growing urban region.&nbsp; </P> <P>“These new solar stations, which we will be installing at a rate of one megawatt a week, will provide a new source of clean energy, directly in the fast-growing regions where we need it most,” said Bryson.</P> <P>SCE sees numerous customer benefits from its new solar program, among them locating the new generation in areas of growing customer demand. And the clusters of solar modules SCE plans to install will be connected directly to the nearest neighborhood circuit, eliminating the need to build new transmission lines to bring the power to customers. Additionally, solar units produce the most power when customer usage is at its highest.</P> <P>SCE believes its commercial solar roofs program will boost several California environmental initiatives, especially the Million Solar Roofs program that provides incentives to encourage Californians to install solar projects by 2017. SCE’s solar program supports the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act requiring the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, as well as California’s renewable portfolio standard requiring that 20 percent of the state’s electricity be generated with renewable energy by 2010.</P> <P>How It Works<BR>Solar cells are made of materials that convert sunlight directly into electricity through a chemical process.</P> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>A thin semiconductor wafer is treated to form an electric field – positive on one side and negative on the other side. <BR>When light strikes the cell, electrons are knocked loose from the atoms of the material creating the current. <BR>Wires are attached to the positive and negative sides to carry the electricity from the cell to the device to be powered.<BR>Media Contact: Gil Alexander, (626) 302-2255<BR><A href="http://www.edisonnews.com">www.edisonnews.com</A></P> <P>Investor Relations Contact: Scott Cunningham, (626) 302-2540<BR><A href="http://www.edisoninvestor.com">www.edisoninvestor.com</A></P> <P>Video and high-resolution photos available at: <BR><A href="http://www.sce.com/solarevent">www.sce.com/solarevent</A></P> <P># # #</P> <P>An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.<BR><BR></P> http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=6391 Test Press Release Alerts http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=6387 Testing upload press release functionality. http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=6388 <P>test</P> <P>test</P> <P>test</P> http://wwwt.edison.com/pressroom/pr.asp?id=6350 <P align=center><EM>Trade associations label SCE meter initiative the industry’s best</EM></P> <P>ROSEMEAD, Calif., Aug. 21, 2006—Southern California Edison (SCE) has informed state officials the utility’s advanced metering initiative (AMI), a plan to replace five million residential and small commercial customer meters with first-in-the-industry, two-way home communications devices, is ahead of schedule.&nbsp; The speed-up primarily resulted from assurances by the metering industry they can meet SCE’s request faster than expected for a new generation of meters with advanced customer benefits.</P> <P>“We have asked meter manufacturers for enhanced meter functions and capabilities that provide customers with significantly more control over their energy use and costs,” said SCE Senior Vice President of Customer Service Lynda Ziegler.&nbsp; “The industry’s response has been impressive and we believe the devices being developed could benefit every home and small business we serve.”</P> <P>Two trade organizations are citing SCE’s meter initiative as the industry’s leader.&nbsp; Utility Planning Network, a membership-based peer group of utility professionals worldwide that facilitates the annual Metering Awards Program, has recognized SCE’s entry as winner of the “AMR Initiative by a North American investor-owned utility” category.&nbsp; The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has recognized SCE’s approach to advanced metering as the industry leadership position.&nbsp; SCE is the first U.S. utility to adopt EPRI’s IntelliGrid Architecture for a system-wide advanced metering deployment.</P> <P>The SCE meter initiative is part of a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) study of the feasibility of replacing the state’s residential and small commercial electricity meters, that currently measure total energy use by the month, with more advanced devices that measure usage by the hour.&nbsp; Once such meters are installed, the commission would implement the same type of time-of-use rates for the state’s residential and small business customers that have been available to larger business customers for years.&nbsp; Such rates will allow SCE to provide customers with pricing options that can lower their costs.</P> <P>Subject to approval by the CPUC, SCE plans to begin field testing the new, advanced meters next year in 5,000 to 25,000 homes and small businesses, and fully deploy the units between 2008 and 2012.</P> <P>Features and Benefits of SCE’s Next Generation Meter</P> <UL dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <LI>SCE’s new meters would provide a communications link with other household devices such as personal computers, feeding PCs real-time energy information that helps customers control usage and costs. <LI>The devices would link to household and business devices required for rate discount “demand response” programs. <LI>The one million SCE customers who relocate each year would be able to request that their service be turned on and turned off when it is most convenient. <LI>The new SCE meter would provide a communications link to the smart thermostats and appliances of the future, allowing customers to automatically manage costs.</LI></UL> <P align=center># # #</P> <P align=left><EM>An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.7 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California.<BR></P></EM>