Power, one of the roughly two dozen companies he controlled at the time, to execute what would eventually become one of the largest hydropower systems in the United States, the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project. Pacific Light and Power was one of the predecessor companies to SCE, along with Edison Electric, Mt. Whitney Power & Electric Co., California Electric Power Co., Southern California Power Co., and others. Settlement for blackout Southern California Edison agreed to pay a $650,000 settlement for the 2011 blackout with FERC and NERC. Shooting On December 16, 2011, a shooting occurred when an employee of Southern California Edison opened fire at an office building in Irwindale. The employee killed two co-workers and seriously wounded two others before committing suicide. COVID-19 pandemic In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 8,000 of the 13,000 employees were shifted to remote work. The US Department of Homeland Security has named utilities like SCE part of the 16 sectors designated “critical infrastructure sectors. The group of remote workers was set up so the company can operate if it faces workforce disruptions or shortages if employees become stricken or quarantined because of COVID-19. The company also ceased power disconnections for non-payment. Renewable energy Southern California Edison allows its customer to obtain their electricity entirely from renewable sources by subscribing to a "green rate". In 2006, Southern California Edison planned to secure 1,500 megawatts or more of power generated from new projects to be built in the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm area. The contract, which more than doubles SCE's wind energy portfolio, envisions more than of wind parks in the Tehachapi region, which is triple the size of any existing U.S. wind farm. In March 2008, Southern California Edison announced a $875 million project to build a network of 250 megawatts of photovoltaic solar power generation, making it the biggest solar cell project in the nation. The photovoltaic cells will cover of rooftops in southern California and will generate enough power to serve 162,000 homes. In 2009, Southern California Edison entered into a contract with Solar Millennium to purchase solar thermal power up to 726 MW. Southern California Edison also entered into a contract with Stirling Energy Systems to buy electricity from a 500 megawatt, 4,600 acre (19 km2), solar power plant which was due to open in 2009. The purchase was canceled in late 2010, as changes in technology reduced the cost of