Future looks bright for Oakland port’s power needs

Future looks bright for Oakland portÆs power needs With a flick of the switch and plenty of sunglasses, Port of Oakland officials on Friday activated the first utility generation plant operated on port property — and it's all solar.
   The ground-mounted photovoltaic solar power installation at the Oakland International Airport, which is overseen by the port authority, will generate up to 1 million kilowatt hours of power when the sun is shining.
   The zero-emission power system is part of the port authority's goal to generate 20 percent of its power from renewable energy sources.
   The plant was built under an agreement with Sun Edison LLC. The deal called for Sun to finance, build and maintain the plant, while the port agreed to purchase the power generated.