Santa Barbara flips switch on city’s first large-scale solar power plant

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Santa Barbara has activated its first large-scale, municipal solar power plant. The system, a 384-KW set of arrays built on six of the Southern California city’s Corporate Yard rooftops, was installed by Suntech Energy Solutions during the fall of 2008 and is financed and operated by Tioga Energy.

Through its SurePath power purchase agreement, Tioga Energy sells the energy generated by the system to the city at a fixed, predictable price over the 20-year contract term. In addition to a minimal upfront capital outlay, the city receives immediate energy savings and a hedge against future utility rate increases, without the hassle of owning the system outright, the partners said.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The system, which incorporates 1830 Suntech 210 PV modules, will produce 550,000 KW-hr of energy per year, effectively offsetting 191 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to the power that would be needed for more than 100 Santa Barbara-area homes on an annual basis.

“This first system is a first step in reducing our energy costs and producing clean, renewable energy. We look forward to ‘throwing the switch’ on more projects in the years to come,” said  Marty Blum, mayor of Santa Barbara.

Read Next

July 11, 2025
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has revealed that several utility-scale solar PV power plants experienced curtailment of above 25% in the National Electricity Market (NEM) in 2024.
July 10, 2025
German renewables company BayWa r.e. has secured a €3 billion (US$3.5 billion) loan for 'operational initiatives and pipeline expansion.'
July 10, 2025
US renewables developer Invenergy has launched commercial operations of 250MW Fairbanks Solar Energy Center in Sullivan County, Indiana. 
July 10, 2025
US solar residential installer Sunnova has entered into a stalking horse asset purchase agreement with Omnidian for some of its assets.
July 10, 2025
A report published by the US Department of Energy (DOE) this week claims that the previous government’s support for renewable energy could cause blackouts to “increase by 100 times” by 2030.
July 10, 2025
UbiQD has signed a supply agreement with First Solar to supply its fluorescent quantum dot technology for use in the latter’s PV panels.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK