Photo by John Gibbins - U-T The 25-turbine Kumeyaay Wind farm on the Campo Indian Reservation makes power for SDG&E, which is looking for other wind and solar power to add to its portfolio.San Diego Gas & Electric has signed deals to buy solar and wind power from the deserts east of San Diego.
One involves getting the full output of a 315-megawatt wind farm on federal land planned for in western Imperial County.
The other is with what's planned as the largest solar farm in San Diego County, on 300 acres in Borrego Springs. That would supply 26 megawatts, or enough for about 9,000 homes.
"SDG&E has worked diligently on developing local renewable contracts that will provide clean renewable power to help satisfy our customers’ long-term energy needs," said Jim Avery, the SDG&E executive in charge of making sure there's enough power.
SDG&E and other big, for-profit utilities are required by the state to get a third of the power they supply by 2020 from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal.
The company says it has signed three other contracts for power from renewable sources in the last nine months.
The wind contract is for power to be produced by the Ocotillo Wind Energy Facility, formerly known as the Ocotillo Express, about 25 miles west of El Centro.
The company building that project hopes to break ground by the end of the year and begin supplying power to SDG&E by the middle of next year.
SDG&E says that power will come to San Diego over the Sunrise Powerlink, a controversial transmission line it is now building.
The $500 million Ocotillo wind farm is undergoing environmental review. If fully built, it would put 244 turbines on federal land, mostly north of Interstate 8 just east of San Diego County.
"It's an ideal opportunity to put renewables onto Sunrise Powerlink," said Glen Hodges, a spokesman for Pattern Energy, the Texas company developing it.
The solar contract is with NRG Solar, and will increase the amount of solar power generated in San Diego County by 25 percent, SDG&E said.
Desert solar and wind projects are controversial with conservationists who see them as forever changing fragile environments.
Both contracts require approval from the California Public Utilities Commission.
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