sPower, a private owner in the United States of utility-scale solar operating assets, announced that its Antelope DSR 1 and 2 facilities achieved commercial operations before the end of 2016 and are now providing 68.8MWdc (55MWac) solar power to Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA). Participating member agencies using the renewable energy from the newly commissioned sites are the cities of Azusa, Colton, Riverside and Vernon.

The sPower Antelope DSR 1 and 2 facilities were constructed on roughly 440 acres in Lancaster, Calif. sPower employed a peak construction crew size of 500 workers who installed more than 200,000 solar panels mounted on a tracker system that follows the sun to maximize energy output.

“SCPPA continues to seek long-term supplies of cost-effective renewable energy resources like the power we’re receiving from sPower’s solar farms,” said Ted Beatty, SCPPA interim executive director. “These facilities help SCPPA’s members provide safe, reliable and low cost electricity to the more than two million customers they serve.”

The facilities will cumulatively generate enough renewable energy for nearly 10,000 homes and are expected to reduce carbon emissions equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from 260 million miles driven by an average car.

sPower now has a total of four solar farms that generate 121MW of renewable energy specifically for SCPPA and its members.

“sPower is excited to build upon our relationship with SCPPA, who has been instrumental in shaping southern California’s power markets,” said Hans Isern, sPower SVP of utility power marketing. “We appreciate the opportunity to support SCPPA and its member agencies in achieving their renewable goals by delivering clean energy at the lowest possible cost.”

(Photo: sPower's Adera Solar project in California. Source: sPower)