San Onofre Shutdown - What does it mean for our energy future?

The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) nuclear power plant is located between 
San Diego and Orange Counties and has been jointly operated by Southern California Edison
and San Diego Gas and Electric. With 2,200 megawatts of output, the San Onofre plant has
been the largest power source in Southern California.  In 2012, the plant went offline due to
premature wear on tubes, but many people protested the re-opening of the power plant because
of environmental and human health issues in the surrounding area. The recent announcement to 
decommission the plant has created uncertainty for our energy supply, and for utility ratepayers.
Undoubtedly, solar generating systems are assisting with the helping fill the void of power
during peak energy demand hours. The expansion of renewable energy, specifically solar, assists 
Southern California residents from having additional peak power plants built into our local 
communities.

Thanks to the tens of thousands property owners that have invested in solar energy systems in 
our region, the closing of San Onofre hasn’t caused blackouts in Southern California.  Local
solar design and installation company, Sullivan Solar Power, has sparked a solar energy initiative 
to help Southern California region produce clean, renewable solar energy. The company 
advocates that the need for San Onofre’s power plant becomes obsolete as the community 
transitions to solar power.

California is a national leader in terms of solar capacity installed in the United States. The cities 
of San Diego and Los Angeles are consistently going head-to-head for the title of solar city of 
the nation, assisting with meeting energy demand needs for our region. According to the GTM 
Research 2012 U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, California had installed 2,537.4 megawatts of 
installed solar capacity at the end of 2012. Over the past five years the solar market has grown by 
leaps and bounds. California ranks first in the U.S. with over 43,700 solar jobs, and has doubled 
the amount of solar installed in just under one year.

On September 1, utility customers will see significant rate hikes on their electric bills. 
Interestingly enough, this rate increase does not even take into account the San Onofre plant,
which is no longer providing energy to our region. What does this mean? Utility rates will 
continue to go up.  Property owners are able to lock in a low, guaranteed rate of electricity by 
going solar, and hedge their bets against the ever-increasing rates of the utilities.

If you are interested in learning more, or scheduling a free site evaluation you can contact 
Sullivan Solar Power by calling 1.800.SULLIVAN or visiting www.sullivansolarpower.com.