California utility PG&E Corp (PCG.N) said it has grand plans for a 15-megawatt solar power plant near Fresno expected to begin serving Central Valley residents by October, the first phase of a plan to build 250 megawatts of solar power over the next five years.

SOLON Corporation, a unit of German solar company SOLON SE (SOOG.DE), was recently awarded a contract through Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on the 160-acre project with construction set to begin in April. The will build one 15 MW plant, while engineering and construction company Cupertino Electric Inc will build the remaining two plants of 15 MW and 20 MW. The system will use SOLON’s Velocity MW cluster concept with fixed tilt mounting and its SCADA system for remote control and monitoring. The construction is likely to begin this month and should be complete in the third quarter.

The project  to install 250 megawatts of utility-owned power in to help serve its 15 million customers in Northern and Central California is a part of PG&E’s five-year program. The program has invited independent developers to build up to 250 megawatts of additional solar photovoltaic facilities. SOLON SE was also the primary contractor for PG&E’s 2.6-megawatt Vaca-Dixon Solar Station in Vacaville, Calif., that was completed last June.

“This intermediate range — larger than rooftop solar but smaller than the giant installations planned for remote areas of the desert — will help achieve a balance of reasonable cost and quicker time-to-market,” PG&E said.