Pacific Gas and Electric Company and the San Francisco LGBT Community Center yesterday celebrated the unveiling of The Center’s new state of the art solar energy system. Senator Carole Migden, Assemblymember Mark Leno, San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros and San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting joined the celebration along with several hundred community members who could see live readings of the new system’s power generation and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions the system has avoided.
“The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center is truly a San Francisco icon, and today the Center is demonstrating yet again its leadership on an issue that is dear to all of us — the environment,” said Tom King, CEO, PG&E. “This is the first of many more solar projects that PG&E will be donating to San Francisco as part of our $7.5 million city-wide solar investment.”
The system, manufactured by SunPower and installed by Sun Light and Power, composed of 96 panels rated at 215 watts each is expected to produce over 27,000 kW hours of renewable, green power that will have zero greenhouse gas emissions and will save the Center nearly $5,000 annually in energy costs. The installation of the rooftop solar system, a project managed by The Foundation for Environmental Education, cost $170,000.
“The Center is honored to be the first chosen for this inspiring gift of solar panels, and we are grateful to PG&E for making this possible. We are demonstrating that we are making intelligent choices with the money entrusted to us, and we are working hard to be an environmentally-friendly organization for other agencies to emulate,” said Thom Lynch, Executive Director of The San Francisco LGBT Community Center.
This highly visible solar installation showcases one approach that is available to residential and commercial property owners interested in integrating solar systems on their buildings. PG&E hopes that projects like this will stimulate interest and confidence in the use of solar photovoltaics for a wide variety of applications. The partnership with the Center is another step PG&E is taking to help San Francisco become the cleanest and greenest city in the nation.
“I applaud PG&E’s environmental leadership by being first to sign onto AB32 and leading through example by installing solar panels on San Francisco rooftops,” said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. “This is one creative measure that increases renewable energy while avoiding additional carbon emissions and furthers the California Solar Initiative. Congratulations to PG&E and the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center,” continued Speaker Nunez. ”
“I applaud the public-private partnership that is making San Francisco a greener city to live and thrive in,” said State Senator Carole Migden (D-San Francisco). “I thank PG&E for giving back to the community by gifting the solar panels to the LGBT Center in San Francisco.”
“Once again, San Francisco is leading the way in the promotion of solar power,” said Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “The City voted for Proposition B, which I was proud to author in 2001, authorizing $100 million in revenue bonds to be issued for the expansion of solar power in the City. We thank PG&E for their generosity and efforts to make clean solar power a reality for our LGBT Center. With this new installation, we see that lavender can also be green.”
“In my tenure as Treasurer of San Francisco, I have seen first hand the success and benefit of public-private partnerships,” said San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros, “PG&E’s partnership with the SF LGBT Center to increase solar power in San Francisco is another accomplishment we can add to the list.”
“Not only is PG&E a major tax payer in their headquarter city of San Francisco,” said San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, “They have become one of the major drivers behind increasing solar energy usage in San Francisco as well as insuring our non-profit community is one of the prime beneficiaries.”
“PG&E’s generous assistance has enabled The Center to install a SunPower solar system that will pay back financially and environmentally,” said Howard Wenger, SunPower vice president of Global Business Units. “We are proud to have SunPower’s high-efficiency solar system selected by The Center where, as a prominent Market Street landmark, it will serve as a model for clean power choices in the City.”
“Sun Light and Power is pleased to help with the greening of San Francisco and we want to thank PG&E for their generosity in providing the funding which made this project possible. We have been installing solar energy systems for more than 30 years and it’s heartening to the see the growth in solar energy, thanks in part to progressive legislation that helps us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and foreign oil. Future generations will thank us for thinking ahead and doing our part to help save our planet from global warming and pollution,” said Gary Gerber, Founder, Sun Light and Power.
PG&E has committed to spending more than $7.5 million on solar installations throughout the city. Charitable dollars allow non-profit organizations like the San Francisco LGBT Center to reap the financial and environmental benefits of solar power.
PG&E has interconnected more than 14,000 customer-owned solar-generating systems to the power grid — representing more than 110 megawatts and more than any other utility in the nation. In San Francisco, we have helped interconnect almost 500 of these solar systems, the most of any Northern California city. In just the past 24 months, PG&E has interconnected nearly 6,900 customers representing 61.5 megawatts of solar power. PG&E has also provided close to $210 million in rebates to nearly 450 customers through the utility’s self-generation incentive program, which helps offset the cost of installing solar and other forms of clean, on-site generation such as wind and fuel cells.