Pacific Gas & Electric’s new 20-megawatt (MW) solar project, which includes a key telecommunications component provided by NxGen Modular, has begun operation in Huron.

The solar photovoltaic project, which was completed in eight months as part of PG&E’s five-year clean energy initiative, uses a NxGen-designed module that contains the facility’s telecommunications gear and connections.

“NxGen is particularly proud to play a role in developing sustainable energy sources that support our state’s—and of course the data center industry’s—growing need for power,” said Liz Fetter, president and CEO of NxGen Modular.

NxGen is a provider of modular data centers and assemblies that are designed to improve customer data center operational performance and efficiency, lower overall costs, and facilitate seamless growth. This project, like many others, was a special design created for this specific purpose.

The facility’s telecommunications components were specially designed by NxGen to retrieve and store critical performance data for the solar array. The module also integrates protection relays and controls.

“This underscores the point that modular does not mean ‘one-size-fits-all,’” Fetter added. “This project utilized a tailor-made design that was assembled and tested at the manufacturing plant well before the installation date. Once the facility was ready our installation, we were able to deliver and install a pre-tested component very quickly.”

Construction of the project spanned eight months starting in October 2011 and ending in June 2012.