PG&E Announces $250,000 in Grants to California Schools

Release Date: May 7, 2009
Contact: PG&E External Communications (415) 973-5930

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today committed $250,000 for grants to 23 schools within its service area to help their districts reduce energy usage, save money and educate the leaders of tomorrow in environmental stewardship.

As part of the larger PG&E Solar Schools program, the Bright Ideas Grants program supports the understanding of renewable energy in public schools throughout northern and central California. In 2009, Bright Ideas grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded in the spring and fall to credentialed teachers, professors, instructors, principals, deans, department heads, district administrators and facilities managers within five major categories listed below:

• Educational Solar Projects
• Youth Energy and Environmental Programs
• Renewable Energy or Science Related Field Trips
• Green Your School Projects
• Professional Development/Service Learning Projects/Workforce Development Programs

“We are proud to inform, inspire and support the education of our future leaders,” said Ophelia Basgal, vice president of civic partnerships and community initiatives at PG&E. “These students are learning how to make real contributions in the advancement of renewable energy and the fight against climate change. We thank the participating schools who make this possible with their commitment and dedication.”

The PG&E Solar Schools Program includes installation of photovoltaic systems in public schools, a solar-based curriculum training package, workshops for teachers, and Bright Ideas grants. Since its inception in 2004, PG&E shareholders have contributed more than $8 million to the PG&E Solar Schools program. With more than 125 schools participating throughout PG&E’s northern and central California service area, the program has trained more than 3,000 teachers, benefiting almost 200,000 students.

PG&E partners with leaders in the education sector and the solar industry to deliver the training and infrastructure associated with this program. The National Energy Education Development Project manages curriculum training and administration of the Bright Ideas grants, and the Foundation for Environmental Education coordinates installation of the donated photovoltaic systems.

PG&E’s award-winning Solar Schools Program is nationally recognized for teaching the value of renewable energy. It has been awarded the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s IREC Annual Innovation award, named “Education Innovator of the Year” by the San Francisco Business Times and received the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award, California’s highest and most prestigious environmental honor.

PG&E has a long history of making charitable grants tailored to the wide variety of needs of the communities it serves. The company’s broader program of support to communities includes cash grants, in-kind contributions, and volunteers for community-based nonprofit organizations, schools and other governmental programs throughout northern and central California.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 15 million people in northern and central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/about/.

The 2009 PG&E Solar Schools Bright Ideas Grant Award Winners
SCHOOL	CITY	GRANT
Placer High School	Auburn	$10,000
McKinley Elementary	Bakersfield	$10,000
Rosa Parks Environmental Science Magnet School	Berkeley	$10,000
Lathrop Elementary	Lathrop	$10,000
Lake County International Charter School	Middletown	$10,000
Redwood High School	Redwood City	$10,000
Sherman Elementary	San Francisco	$10,000
Mission High School	San Francisco	$10,000
Cesar Chavez Elementary	San Jose	$10,000
San Rafael High School	San Rafael	$10,000
Van Buren Elementary	Stockton	$10,000
Marshall Elementary	Stockton	$10,000
Sierra Middle School	Bakersfield	$5,000
Will Rogers Middle School	Fair Oaks	$5,000
Lake Don Pedro Elementary	La Grange	$5,000
Glenview Elementary	Oakland	$5,000
Martin Luther King Jr. School	Seaside	$5,000
Westmore Oaks	West Sacramento	$5,000
May Grisham School	Orcutt	$2,500
Del Mar High School	San Jose	$2,500
Nightingale Elementary	Stockton	$2,500
Hearst Elementary	Pleasanton	$1,000
George Peabody Elementary	San Francisco	$1,000