Every city has a story…some cities we learn about in school given significant events that occurred through the course of history, or as a result of famous people/authors residing or writing about their homes…with the world of internet story telling, we certainly have the opportunity to hear more of the stories of the many cities around the country and world.

Monterey Park Elementary School in Salinas, CA is one of our PG&E Solar Schools projects…they have a history made popular by John Steinbeck, and a 1kW PV system that is adding new chapters for their solar story.

I read John Steinbeck (Salinas native – born in 1902) books in high school, and had a vision in mind of what Salinas would look like…and the community lives up to the charms composed… Steinbeck wrote most of his books in the 30’s through the 50’s, and the landscape has changed in so many different ways since then…what would Steinbeck have thought of solar energy? Steinbeck did write about running out of natural resources in Cannery Row, and I found an interesting post with some thoughts connecting Steinbeck’s writings to energy, and sustainable consumption. I thought some very interesting points were made in this essay…I agree that we all play a role in changing our current paradigm, but perhaps we’re just a bit more optimistic when it comes to the role solar energy can play in turning figurative and literal light bulbs on and off…

Steinbeck wrote about Cannery Row running out of fish…what an interesting parallel to energy, and the path we’re on with renewable resources. Steinbeck has quite an interesting view on his name in association with schools, which I also thought was an interesting fact to share as we’re telling stories around our solar school in Salinas, “If the city of my birth should wish to perpetuate my name clearly but harmlessly, let it name a bowling alley after me or a dog track or even a medium price, low-church brothel – but a school!” Monterey Park is a school to be proud of.

Here’s a bit more about Salinas for history buffs out there :

“Salinas” is Spanish for ’salt marsh’ because at that time there was a large slough that ran through the area. Sausal and Nacional were among some of the first ranchos granted by the Mexican government after Mexico seceded from Spain in 1822. It was on adjoining parts of these ranchos that “Salinas City” was born after California became a territory of the United States.

Early in the gold rush years James Bryant Hill bought Rancho Nacional and became a pioneer in the agricultural industry by farming wheat; the valley had primarly been used for cattle and other livestock from the time of some of it’s earliest settlers until the 1920’s. Sometime in 1854 Mr. Hill was named postmaster of Salinas, even though there was no town “officially” of that name yet. In 1852 Jacob Leese purchased Rancho Sausal for $600, later he sold 80 acres to Elias Howe. Howe built an inn called “Halfway House” at the intersection of the Monterey-San Juan Bautista and the Los Angeles-San Francisco stage lines in 1856.

In 1867 Alberto Trescony, Alan Riker and William Jackson formed a partnership with cattle rancher Eugene Sherwood and laid out a city plan of a half-square mile. Realizing the importance of the railroad to getting the agricultural products to market, Sherwood offered Southern Pacific Railroad free acreage for the right-of- way and a depot; which opened its doors for business in 1872, that was also the year that “Salinas City” became the seat of Monterey County. Two years later the name was changed to the “City of Salinas” and incorporated.

The agricultural industry began to change from hides and tallows to more of what we are know for to this date; products like grains, beans and of course sugar beets. After World War I the “green gold” of lettuce, broccoli and artichokes helped to make Salinas one of the wealthiest cities per capitia in the U.S.

We’re proud to be a part of another form of green gold flowing in Salinas. We noticed that Salinas stopped talking on our portal, and we lost a bit of their story…luckily we had the help of Principal Chris Banks and Geoff St. John to get us plugged back in. Keep those cables plugged-in, the sunshine flowing, and share your stories…

Over the next several months, 30 PG&E Solar Schools Program projects will be sprouting up around northern and central California. Can you place the pictures below with a site? Here’s a hint for some of the sites – http://energyseeds.com/2006/10/25/getting-solar-in-california/.

Anyone that can name all five sites, and send your list to info @ learnenergy.org gets a prize. Get your solar game on…and while you’re at it, tell us how you’re going to surge the sun in 2007. You’ll notice that one of these images has a monkey, but that may be because the site is a real zoo… Name a few, or name them all…share you’re story… The first ten people to share your surging story will win a prize in our first ever Surge the Sun Contest (hint: the prize is something that changes with the setting of the sun). Send your surging story to info @ learnenergy.org! The grand prize awaits the one to name all of these sites…

Five pictures, five sites receiving their very own 1kW system soon…can you name them? You get three guesses…

letsgreenthiscity…  Solar Celebration!

Every project needs champions…and community support is key in galvanizing a movement…from one project…to collective vision…to greening a major metropolitan city. Here’s the rest of this 18+kW story…for now…

PG&E made this project possible, and had issued the collective challenge to Green This City… Sun Light & Power, a local Berkeley solar company celebrating their 30 year anniversary, was our installation champion. They brought the project online, and in budget…for those in the construction business, this is much easier said than done…we applaud their efforts at every stage of this project. Mike, Rebecca, and Thom integrated this project with the vision of the Center, and saw the project through installation… A variety of business and civic leaders touched and supported the project at various stages of completion…but Saturday, we were there to celebrate the collective accomplishment.Here are a few things they had to say:
“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 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’ve 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.