SAN DIEGO, Oct. 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced it has received two national awards for its Sustainable Communities Program, which promotes "green" building initiatives, energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The Solar Electric Power Association recognized SDG&E's leading efforts to make solar energy a mainstream electricity option with the Association's "Solar Business Award for Innovative Program Design."
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy honored SDG&E with its "Exemplary Program" award in the Commercial/Industrial New Construction Programs category. The award was based on a national review of programs demonstrating effectiveness and innovation in helping business customers achieve greater levels of energy efficiency at their facilities.
Through its Sustainable Communities Program, SDG&E promotes "green" building initiatives and develops clean-generation systems to supply the region.
"We are proud to receive national recognition for our Sustainable Communities Program, which helps develop renewable-energy technologies and applications," said Richard Morrow, vice president of customer services - major markets for SDG&E.
"Since the Sustainable Communities program's inception in late 2004, we have completed three projects and have several in the design or planning phase. We have a goal of generating more than 1 megawatt of clean energy for the San Diego region by the end of 2008," added Morrow.
One recent notable Sustainable Communities project is a 10,000-square-foot solar photovoltaic array on the roof of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. Installed in April 2007, the system already has generated more than 117,000 kilowatt hours of clean energy for San Diego's power grid, or enough to power approximately 2,340 homes for one day.
In addition to the Sustainable Communities Program awards, SDG&E received six Exemplary Program awards and two Honorable Mentions at the recent American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy conference in Berkeley, Calif., for leading energy-efficiency programs ranging from rebates to food service equipment.
SDG&E currently serves 3.4 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 830,000 natural gas meters. The utility's service area spans 4,100 square miles and serves customers in more than 125 communities from southern Orange County to the Mexican border. SDG&E is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company. To learn more, go to www.sdge.com.