Chevron is adding a solar system to power the pumps and pipelines at its Kern River oil field facility.
The 7,700 solar panels are expected to produce about 740 kilowatts of electricity, according to Reuters.
Chevron is using the eight-acre site -- "Project Brightfield" -- as a testing grounds of sorts. The company is testing various sizes of panels and types of technology from seven companies.
The goal is to see which types of solar will be best suited for applications at other Chevron facilities worldwide, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sharp is providing a benchmarking process to gauge effectiveness of the various panels.
Chevron operates in more than 100 nations.
The company said it plans to spend more than $2 billion on renewable energy and related research over the next three years.
In February, Chevron announced plans for a 1 megawatt concentrating photovoltaic solar facility at a molybdenum nine in New Mexico.
Chevron also is getting into the electricity selling business by building and operating a 3.7 MW solar project for a San Jose, Calif., school district.
