San Diego leading the way in solar power capacity

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego ranks second among large U.S. cities in the
amount of installed solar energy capacity and fourth on a per-capita basis,
according to a report released this week by a clean energy advocacy group.

“Solar power is booming across the country and cities are at the
forefront,” said Michelle Kinman of Environment California, which generated
the report. “As one of the top ranking cities, San Diego is leading the way.”

San Diego's 107 megawatts of total solar capacity at the end of last
year ranked only behind Los Angeles, which had 132 megawatts.

The top six cities were from the Sun Belt, followed by Indianapolis and
New York.

On a per-capita basis, the leaders before San Diego were Honolulu, San
Jose and Wilmington, Del., according to the report.

At a news conference, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the city has
been aggressively pushing forward on solar-energy initiatives for years and
hopes to expand on those efforts in the future.

“As a pollution-free energy source with no fuel costs, solar energy can
help us to meet many of our city's environmental and economic goals,”
Faulconer said. “It makes perfect sense for San Diego, one of the sunniest
cities in the country, to lead the way in solar energy.”

The report, the first of its kind from Environment California, said the
top 20 cities have more solar power than was installed in the entire U.S. just
six years ago.