SunPower Corp.(NASDAQ: SPWR) announced that construction is underway on two solar power projects for Yolo County in Calif. The projects are expected to generate 5.8 megawatts of emission-free solar power for county facilities, worth an estimated $1.5 million in electricity costs the first year of operation.

The projects include one array built at the corner of West Beamer Street and Cottonwood Street in Woodland, Calif. and one at Grassland Regional Park in Davis, Calif. The two new systems will be owned by the County, with the systems purchased through low interest public financing.  SunPower built the county's first solar power system in 2010, a 1-megawatt ground-mounted system at the Yolo County Justice Center in Woodland, Calif.

"To facilitate the county's increased commitment to solar, we're pleased to partner again with SunPower on these significant projects," said Yolo County General Services Deputy Director Terry Vernon. "Solar power is an easy, affordable means to reduce county operational costs as well as our dependence on fossil fuels. With SunPower as our solar technology provider, we're confident that the systems will generate approximately $51 million savings over the next 25 years for the benefit of Yolo County residents and businesses."

"Yolo County is saving money, creating jobs and producing clean, reliable energy for county operations," said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, regions. "We are thrilled to partner with the county with the implementation of SunPower's proven, high performing technology, which will deliver guaranteed performance for years to come."

The two ground-mounted solar power systems, which are expected to be complete this summer, will utilize SunPower solar panels, the most efficient solar panels on the market. The system in Davis will use SunPower panels mounted on the SunPower T0 Tracker® system. The Tracker follows the sun's movement during the day, increasing sunlight capture by up to 25 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements.

According to formulas provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Yolo County's new systems are expected to avoid 5,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, equivalent to the emissions displaced from removing over 26,000 cars from California's roads over the first 25 years of the systems' operation.