PV technology manufacturer SunEdison and its affiliate, global renewable energy company TerraForm Power, have completed and connected two PV projects in California.

The two systems – a 2.6MW DC project at the Coalinga State Hospital and a 1.6MW DC System at the Pleasant Valley State Prison - were installed for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Department of State Hospital and will produce enough energy to power about 800 homes.

Bob Powell, president of North America at SunEdison, said: "SunEdison has installed 40 MW DC of solar at 12 different locations for the CDCR. It's been a successful long term partnership for both parties dating back to 2006. Implementing solar at a state prison could be a complex undertaking given the stringent security requirements, but our extensive design and installation experience enables us to simplify the process and deliver on time and on budget."

The two PV projects will be operated and maintained by the SunEdison Renewable Operation Center (ROC), which will give out monitoring reports on a 24/7 basis.

Deborah Hysen, acting director of facility planning, construction and management for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said: "Pleasant Valley is one of 12 prison sites that use solar-generated electricity, as part of our larger program to make all of our facilities as low-polluting and energy efficient as possible. Our use of solar energy is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 61,000 metric tons in 2014 and will save taxpayers approximately $78 million in energy costs over the next 20 years."