SIEMENS SOLAR ALLIANCE SOMETHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

CHATSWORTH - Siemens Solar and Berkeley-based PowerLight will come together today to turn Southern California's copious sun into a money-saving power generator for Los Angeles consumers.

Siemens, the Camarillo-based subsidiary of the German electronics company, will unveil its alliance with PowerLight today at the Siemens plant in Chatsworth. Mayor James Hahn and leaders from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will attend to discuss incentives offered by the city to those who use solar energy.

``The program is put together to make sure we bring new technology to the market,'' said Angelina Galiteva, the DWP's director of strategic planning. ``The technology brings jobs into the city and provides emission-free energy.''

The DWP offers rebates to people who install solar panels manufactured in Los Angeles. The department reimburses customers $6 per watt if the equipment is made in the city, or $4.50 per watt otherwise.

The L.A. utility is on target to encourage installation of 100,000 solar systems in Los Angeles by 2010 and to install more than 2.5 megawatts of power each year for the next four years.

PowerLight, a Berkeley-based solar panel designer, has teamed up with Siemens to manufacture their own version of an energy-efficient product. The panels made at the facility are for commercial use. Siemens' plant is capable of manufacturing up to six megawatts of solar electric roof tiles per year.

To shed some light on just how much power that is, one megawatt is enough to power 500 homes annually.

PowerLight already has a suitor for its product, as the U.S. Postal Service has ordered a puzzle of panels for a processing center in Marina del Ray. Ray Levinson, manager of environmental compliance for the Postal Service's Pacific region, said the panels could save up to 10 percent of the center's current demand for electricity.

``We liked the PowerLight product because of the way it was built. They sit flat and they don't require a lot of penetration,'' Levinson said.

What makes PowerLight's panel different from other manufacturers is that it doesn't require drilling into a roof as it lays flat atop plastic foam. Levinson said these were important characteristics for the Postal Service because every time a panel has been installed on the roof, major leaks have formed.

``We are looking forward to installing the panels and if the project is successful we will try to install them elsewhere,'' Levinson said.

While demand for PowerLight's product rises, the need for contractors to install the panels increases. Galiteva said the DWP is providing workshops for contractors interested in learning how to install the panels. So far, there have been nine workshops offered and 170 contractors trained.

``This exemplifies how the panels generate both power and jobs for the city,'' she said.

PowerLight could not provide an exact figure in terms of the cost of its product. However, Janice Lin, vice president of business development for the company, said customers receive an average rate of return of 15 percent over the product's 25-year warranty.