San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), on June 16, said it had signed two new solar power-purchase agreements for a total of 237 megawatts of electricity. Some of the generation will come online by the end of 2012. With these two new contracts, SDG&E is even closer to its renewable portfolio goal.

The 110 megawatt Catalina Solar project will be developed by enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles (PARIS: EEN) subsidiary. The first 50 megawatt phase of the project will be online by the end of 2012, according to SDG&E. The remainder will come online in 2013.

The other project is being developed by Arlington Valley Solar Energy II, a subsidiary of LS Power Development, LLC. It will consist of up to 127 megawatts of photovoltaics. The first 25-megawatt phase is slated to come online in the first quarter of 2013 with 25 more megawatts of production slated for each month thereafter, SDG&E said.

Under California’s renewable portfolio standard law, utilities in the state must source 33 percent of their power generation from renewables by 2020.

“It looks like we are on track. Last year we had delivered just about 12 percent from renewables,” said SDG&E spokesperson Stephanie Donovan. “Minus these two recent contracts, we have under contract of renewables for 29 percent of sales by 2015.”

The company plans on meeting or exceeding the standard by the 2020 deadline, according to Donovan.

“Frankly, if we can get renewable projects in general to reach grid-parity with fossil fuel, then why would we stop?” she said.

The California utility has quickly ramped up renewable generation from 1 percent of its portfolio in 2002.

“Since then, we’ve added more renewables as a percentage than any other utility,” Donovan said.

The company met an intermediary goal of 20 percent of renewables by 2010 by procuring more renewable generation.

“We actually had over-procured beyond the target for each year. We still met that 20 percent by 2010,” Donovan said.

The company continues to procure more renewable generation, and currently has some requests for more renewable contracts out, Donovan said. The company is aware that some of the projects may not be successful, but the utility has tried to identify the best opportunities.

“In the last six months we’ve signed a dozen contracts for 1,000 megawatts of renewables,” she said.

Image courtesy of enXco.