Rays the Roof
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.