In the wake of an energy crisis that's caused rolling blackouts and spiraling power costs, the city known for its fog eventually may run off sunshine.
San Francisco officials may push for a measure on the ballot this fall asking voters to approve $120 million in bonds for solar panels.
The panels, installed on hundreds of municipal buildings and at 16 reservoirs, would generate up to 50 megawatts of power, enough to meet up to one-half the city government's needs. One megawatt is enough to power about 1,000 homes.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy say the city's lingering fog will not interfere with the plan. San Francisco receives about 96 percent of the solar radiation of Sacramento, the nation's leader in municipal solar power with about 8 megawatts.
While in line with the city's progressive spirit, it's not going to be cheap. Solar power would cost at least three times that of conventional or wind-powered energy. The city estimates solar power would cost 30 cents to 35 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 4 cents to 10 cents for electricity from fossil-fuel plants.
Plus, there's the cost of photovoltaic panels, which last 25 years with minimal maintenance.
"In the 1970s, a lot of companies went into the solar-energy business and did not produce quality workmanship," said David Hochschild, an aide to Mayor Willie Brown who is researching the solar proposal. "Solar hot-water heaters broke down quite a bit and that gave solar energy a bad name. But the technology has come along a great deal."
The solar panels convert about 15 percent of sunlight to energy, compared to 3 percent when they were first introduced in the 1950s.
If the plan becomes reality, it would make San Francisco the country's leader in solar energy. Utilities nationwide produce just over 100 megawatts of solar power; total worldwide output is about 250 megawatts, according to Terry Peterson, a solar expert at the Electric Power Research Institute.<
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cube_corner said:
cube_corner said:
Most of the violence lately comes from leftists, but nobody seems to write about those of us who fear for our safety. And there are many of us.
cube_corner said:
Awful what they're doing to this kids. The images suggest it's >90% young girls, too. Imagine what lies they tell them. Horrible and sad.
cube_corner said:
LittleFoot said:
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