PG&E expands renewable power

Pacific Gas and Electric has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for up to 387 megawatts of clean, renewable power - enough power to serve more than 350,000 PG&E electric customers.

The approval if for geothermal operations in Newbury, Oregon, and Truckhaven and Geyserville, California. Biomass-to-energy projects in Chowchilla and El Nido, CA have also been approved.

"We are thrilled about these five renewable power projects and look forward to them contributing to PG&E's diverse energy portfolio, which has one of the lowest rates of air emissions in the country," said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement. "We commend the commission on their dedication toward a cleaner energy future for all northern and central California customers."

PG&E supplies more than 12% of its customer load from resources that qualify under California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program. In total, about 50% of the power that PG&E delivers to its customers comes from generating resources that emit no carbon dioxide, the primary contributor to global warming, the company says.