Coming to us via a press release is news that Southern California Edison (SCE) has awarded contracts totaling nearly 60 megawatts’ worth of solar electric projects. According to agreements signed with a number of independent power producers — like Tioga Solar, SunEdison Utility Solutions, Photon LLC and others — solar panels will be installed on 31 rooftops and five ground-mounted sites across SCE’s service territory.

This latest round of contracts is part of a broader push by SCE to install 500 megawatts (MW) of solar power within its service territory, most of it on used rooftops. Half that amount will come from independent power producers; the other half will come from solar panel installations that will be owned and operated by the utility. When all is said and done, the California solar panel installations are expected to cover an area totaling four square miles on some 250 warehouse roofs that would otherwise go unused. It bears noting that the panels will generate clean, emissions-free electricity.

Here’s a blurb from the press release:

“These contracts make significant strides toward distributed renewable generation for one of the most innovative solar programs in the country,” said Marc Ulrich, SCE vice president, Renewable and Alternative Power. “We’re working to help California meet its Million Solar Roofs goal and supply even more renewable energy to our customers where and when it’s most needed, without the added time and expense to construct major new transmission facilities.”

If you’re a homeowner who buys electricity from SCE, don’t feel left out: there are incentives for you to go solar, too. As one of the state’s main investor-owned utilities, Southern California Edison administers a solar rebate program in accordance with the California Solar Initiative (CSI). The really good news is that CSE’s program currently offers a higher solar rebate — $1.10 per watt — than Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). This means that CSE customers who are interested in installing a residential solar electric system may be sitting on one of the best deals going in California.