The solar plants are capable of generating 12.5 million watts of energy, which could provide electricity to more than 8,000 homes, said Rudy Perez, solar photovoltaic program manager for Southern California Edison.

The utility company commissioned the solar panels - which rest on the roofs of four distribution warehouses in Ontario and three in Redlands - at a ceremony in Ontario attended by Edison and city officials.

"We're trying to utilize as much rooftops as we can," Perez said.

Edison plans to get 100 such

City officials and representatives from Southern California Edison gather to view the solar panels on the roof of a warehouse Tuesday in Ontario. (Will Lester/Staff Photographer)
installations up and running in the next four years, which will create 250 megawatts of power. (One megawatt equals 1 million watts.)

The majority of the projects will be in the Inland Empire because of an abundance of rooftops as well as a plethora of sunny days, Perez said.

"This is rooftop space that otherwise would be unused. We're just getting started," Edison spokesman Christian Nelson said.

The solar panels in Ontario rest on top of four warehouses on East Francis Street owned by ProLogis, a major distribution facilities company.

The installations in Ontario will produce 7.5 million watts of electricity - enough power to meet the needs of 4,800 Inland Empire homes, Perez said.

Following the throwing of a ceremonial switch Tuesday, city officials got an up-close view of the 32,950 solar photovoltaic panels that cover 1.8 million square feet of the leased Ontario warehouse roofs.

"Southern California Edison has worked to speed the deployment of solar photovoltaic energy and bring down the price," Nelson said. "Now, the vision has become a reality as the the cost of solar panels has come down and become readily available to consumers."