SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that it has received two of the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards for its innovative Solar Schools and Agricultural Internal Combustion Engine Conversion Incentive (AG-ICE) programs.
California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor, the annual Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award program recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable contributions in conserving California's precious resources, protecting and enhancing the environment, and building public- private partnerships. The competitive awards program is administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency and Resources Agency, in partnership with the Department of Food and Agriculture; Business, Transportation and Housing Agency; and the State and Consumer Services Agency.
"Improving the state's air quality is a key component to meeting the Governor's environmental protection goals," said Dan Skopec, Undersecretary for Environmental Protection. "PG&E's Solar Schools and AG-ICE programs are great examples of the utility's leadership in developing solutions to some of California's environmental challenges."
The awards will be presented to the company during the 2006 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards Ceremony in Sacramento on December 5, 2006.
"The Solar Schools and AG-ICE Programs reflect PG&E's unwavering commitment to environmental leadership and to providing first class customer service," said Tom King, CEO of PG&E. "We will continue to partner with our customers to develop innovative solutions that improve energy efficiency, address the challenge of global climate change, and increase renewable energy supplies, while providing our customers with better, faster, and more cost efficient services."
A winner in the Children's Environmental Education category, PG&E's shareholder funded voluntary Solar Schools Program provides participating schools in underserved communities throughout northern and central California with a free 1.3 kilowatt solar energy installation and grade-specific curriculum materials designed to help each participating school meet the California Department of Education's standards for science, social studies, and English.
The largest program of its kind, Solar Schools has provided more than 60 participating schools from Lemoore to Eureka with a photovoltaic (PV) system valued at $20,000 and awarded nearly $200,000 to fund 25 "Bright Ideas" grants of $2,000 and $5,000, supporting innovative solar science projects in the classroom. The program has also provided specialized solar science curriculum seminars to 1,000 teachers, benefiting nearly 59,000 students throughout PG&E's service area.
For 2006, PG&E has committed $1.7 million towards expanding the Solar Schools program as part of the company's broader commitment to renewable energy. Working in partnership with the communities we serve and nationally-recognized leaders in the education sector and solar industry, Solar Schools is well-positioned to continue to inspire students to become the solar innovators and scientists of tomorrow.
PG&E's AG-ICE Program won for the Environmental and Economic Partnerships Category, resulting from the company's help in improving the Central Valley's air quality. PG&E's co-winners of the award included the Agricultural Energy Consumers Association, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, and the California Farm Bureau Federation, reflecting the strong collaborative nature of the program. The AG-ICE Program offers participants an approximately 20 percent discount on their electricity rate, limits annual customer rate increases, and will provide up to $27.5 million to help farmers defray the up-front costs of connecting to PG&E's system.
Further, the program ensures that old internal combustion engines are destroyed, permanently retires the criteria pollutant reductions, banks the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions on behalf of PG&E customers, and requires participants to conduct a pump efficiency test to identify other potential improvements.
In the first nine months, the program received more than 1,200 applications from agricultural customers, from Butte City to Bakersfield. Once fully installed, these systems will translate into approximate reductions of 17,500 tons of NOx and 1,200 tons of PM over their expected lifetime. During the same time period, these systems will eliminate the need for approximately 62 million gallons of diesel fuel, which translates into 650,000 fewer tons of CO2 emissions and will contribute toward the state's petroleum reduction and climate change goals.
The two Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards are the latest in a long and distinguished history of recognition for PG&E's environmental programs. With more than 140 environmental honors in total, this year, the company has also won the Keystone Center Leadership in Industry Award, the U.S. EPA's ENERGY STAR(R) and WasteWise Awards, and the Solar Electric Power Association's Public Awareness and Industry Leadership Award, among others.
For more information about Pacific Gas and Electric Company, please visit our web site at http://www.pge.com/ .
