Pacific Gas and Electric plans to double its existing commitments to buy renewable solar thermal power, adding 1,000 megawatts over the next five years. This new commitment is in addition to earlier commitments to purchase more than 1,000 megawatt of solar thermal power. According to PG&E, the additional solar thermal energy will be enough to power more than 750,000 homes.

“PG&E has identified solar thermal technology as a reliable energy source that can provide millions of American electric customers with some of the cleanest and most cost-effective renewable energy,” said PG&E Corp. President and CEO Peter Darbee.
The announcement was one of the commitments made during the Clinton Global Initiative. PG&E now has contracts to provide 18 percent of its future energy supply from renewable sources.

One likely beneficiary PG&E’s pledge is Silicon Valley solar startup Ausra, Green Wombat reports. Backed by green investor Vinod Khosla and venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Ausra has been negotiating with PG&E to build solar power plants for the utility.