Kaiser Permanente pairs with Recurrent to install solar projects across California

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Kaiser Permanente is staking out its own substantial slice of solar – a move that many others such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have recently made -- by planning to install 15 megawatts worth of power systems by summer 2011.

The Oakland-based healthcare network is pairing with Recurrent Energy in San Francisco to install 16 solar projects at 15 facilities across California, including in Southern California locations such as Fontana and San Diego, both companies said Tuesday.

The installations, to be built, owned and operated by Recurrent, will be spread across rooftops or parking areas or mounted on the ground at Kaiser’s hospitals, medical offices and other buildings.

Kaiser will have a power purchase agreement with Recurrent, which is eligible for a 30% federal tax credit available for private companies. Kaiser will keep any of the tradable renewable energy credits awarded to the solar projects.

Though the companies did not disclose financial details, Citigroup Inc. was named as an equity investor for part of the projects. Recurrent has more than 1 gigawatt worth of solar power systems in the works across North America and Europe.

Several of the Kaiser installations are already in the works. Overall, the installations will produce an average of 10% of the energy Kaiser uses at each of the locations, or about enough electricity to power 1,900 average homes a year.

Kaiser is hoping the projects will help it expand its energy options while relying less on public power. The healthcare organization, which began using solar power when it opened a hospital in Modesto in 2008, claims that its green building tactics have allowed it to save $10 million each year through energy conservation.

-- Tiffany Hsu