Pacific Gas & Electric Co. officials said Monday that they have fitted the nation's first billboard with solar panels.

The panels produce enough electricity to indirectly power the billboard's lights and even a little extra. The electricity that is generated is sent to the power grid, not directly to the lights.

PG&E installed the solar panels on top of the billboard at 1000 Brannan St. near the Ninth Street exit from Interstate 80/Highway 101, the company said. The billboard, which is visible from the freeway, says simply in large letters, "This isn't a billboard. It's a power plant."

Its 20 solar modules can produce up to 3.4 kilowatts of electricity for the PG&E grid, the company said.

The only other nation with grid-linked solar billboards is South Africa, according to PG&E.