Finally, a health-care debate we can get behind.

Today, Jan. 7, Kaiser Permanente announced that it had completed the first phase of its massive solar energy goal: to install 15-megawatt’s worth of solar on its California facilities.

Kaiser’s Santa Clara Medical Center is the first to complete a portion of the plan, and is now generating 8.5 percent of its total electricity from solar panels. The system went live today.

"Kaiser Permanente has a long history of energy conservation and environmental stewardship, and our use of solar and other forms of renewable energy further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving the overall health and well-being of our members and the communities we serve," said Gregory A. Adams, group president, regional president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan/Hospitals, Inc. in Northern California, in a company press release.

The plan to install solar at Kaiser’s California facilities was announced back in March 2010, but the company’s fondness for solar goes back a few years.

In 2008, Kaiser installed a solar system at its Modesto, Calif., clinic, which, according to Kaiser, generates enough electricity to power 25 homes. Coupled with energy-efficient upgrades and building practices, Kaiser estimates it saves close to $10 million per year through its past conservation efforts—that’s not including the proposed 15-MW of solar power it’s nipping away at.

Kaiser is on track to achieve its solar installation goal by the end of 2011, which, when it’s completed, should be equivalent to powering 1,900 homes.

Pictured: Kaiser's Modesto, Calif., clinic, the first solar installation the company completed, courtesy of Kaiser Permanente.