Consumers have installed more than 140, 000 solar energy systems, with a generating capacity of 1.5 gigawatts, in the state to date, according to Vote Solar, a San Francisco-based non-profit.

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The new company will have a generating capacity of about 57, 000 megawatts, outstripping Southern Company as the largest utility company in the U.S. (See If the Recovery Fizzles, Seek Safety in Utilities).

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Some 20% of the solar installations would be built by 2014 under the plan and the rest by 2020 to a final generating capacity of 42 GWe.

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