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Friday, April 20, 2012 – Daily News A new survey by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) ranks Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) as the nation's top electric utili- ty in the amount of solar power added to its system in 2011. PG&E is first in the Annual Solar Megawatts category of the more than 240 utili- ties that participated in SEPA's 2011 Utility Solar Rankings survey. 2010. Both the number of systems and the amount of new capacity make solar electricity the fastest growing electric source in the U.S. in 2011. "PG&E is pleased to support our customers' choice to go solar so they can realize the benefits of solar energy for their homes and businesses," said Helen Burt, Senior Vice President of Cus- tomer Care for PG&E. "We remain committed to providing our customers with clean, reliable, and affordable energy, includ- ing an increasing amount of power from large utili- ty-driven solar projects." PG&E delivers some of the nation's cleanest electric power to its cus- tomers, thanks in part to solar energy. On average, more than half the elec- tricity the utility delivers comes from sources that are renewable and/or car- bon free. PG&E helped more than 12,000 customers in Northern and Central California connect 162 megawatts (MW) of solar at their homes and busi- ness in 2011, bringing the total number of customer solar installations to more photovoltaic systems added by customers and third-party producers, much of the growth has come from the direct actions of utilities," said Hamm. The findings show that 39 percent of new solar capacity came from utilities owning or contracting for solar power. "In addition to the jects, greater than 10 megawatts each, repre- sent the bulk of this capacity. Large solar pro- Utility ranked as nation's top for solar Upcoming activities start 5B with Manton hike Saturday A day hike to Little Hawaii Waterfalls/Bluff Springs, Manton is scheduled for Saturday. Five mile walk on dirt Ponderosa Way in Manton. Meet leader at 10:45 a.m. at the Manton Store in Man- ton. Allow 4 hours; bring binoculars for birding, water, snacks, hard rain cancels. Marti Weidert (530) 474-4300 than 63,000. It also con- nected 135 MW of new large solar projects for the benefit of all cus- tomers. This includes PG&E's own expanding solar facilities, which when completed will deliver 250 MW of clean energy -- enough to power about 150,000 average customer homes. "We congratulate PG&E for being a solar power leader in the elec- tric utility sector," said Julia Hamm, President and CEO of SEPA. "PG&E successfully adapted its business mod- els and operations to allow for a significant amount of solar energy to be integrated into the grid last year, delivering the many benefits of clean solar energy to its cus- tomers. The impressive gains solar energy made in the U.S. in 2011 can be largely attributed to PG&E's leadership." Overall, utilities inter- connected more than 62,000 photovoltaic (PV) systems of all sizes last year, according to SEPA's 2011 Utility Solar Rank- ings survey. These new systems resulted in almost 1,500 megawatts of new utility solar capac- ity, more than twice as much as was added in The full report on the total solar capacity of U.S. utilities, rankings by regions and other utility solar trends will be avail- able in late May at www.SEPATop10.org. Pacific Gas and Elec- tric Company, a sub- sidiary of PG&E Corpo- ration (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest com- bined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 15 million peo- ple in Northern and Cen- tral California. For more information, visit http://www.pge.com/abo ut/newsroom/ and www.pgecurrents.com. Hike (1A). Join fellow walkers for a cool weather stroll along the south side of Whiskeytown Lake. This walk is along an established trail with about 200 feet of elevation change. Length will either be 3.3 or 6.6 miles depending on weather or group experience. Meet at north side of Whiskeytown Dam at 10 a.m. Bring lunch or a snack and water. Duration 3 hours. Parking permit required. Contact Leader John at 243-4124 for further information. May 25-28. Friday thru Monday. Exploratory Car Camp, Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, NW Nevada. Located in NW Nevada, the refuge was created in 1930's to protect pronghorn ante- lope habitat. It is one of largest blocks of ungrazed sagebrush-steppe habitat and high desert habitat for wildlife and native plants. Contains remnants of old ranches and opal mines. Many species find refuge from development pressures. The area is rich in wildlife, solitude, and primitive uncon- fined recreation. This will be a touring trip w/car camping and easy day hikes. High clearance vehi- cles needed, no trailers, 4WD nice but not neces- sary. Bring all your own camping gear, warm hik- ing clothes, boots and food, water in containers, binoculars, spotting scopes to view wildlife across great expanses. Exact itinerary will depend on area conditions. Leader M. Weidert (530) 474- 4300 more info; possible ride sharing. June 16, Saturday. Whiskeytown Sheep Camp to Boulder Creek Falls (3A). Moderately strenuous 2.5 mile uphill and 3 mile downhill hike on estab- lished trail above the Brandy Creek swimming area. Will return on same trail to Sheep Camp parking area so total distance is 11 miles. Water sources on trail may be dry except at 5.5 mile mark. For moderate to experienced hikers. Meet at 9 a.m. at north end of Whiskeytown Dam and we will drive to trailhead. Leader John at 243-4124 for information. May 12, Saturday. Whiskeytown Davis Gulch The busiest local information website in Tehama County! RedBluffDailyNews.com Please support these businesses that support 590 Antelope Blvd. Suite B-30 Red Bluff 26 Sale Lane, Red Bluff (530) 529-2192 www.Claytonredbluff.com Respecting People. Impacting Business 530-527-0727 243 So. 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