City Hall solar wonderland moves forward
August 26, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Solar panels may be laid above City Hall, but a proposal to allow visitors to track energy savings on electronic displays inside the building won’t move forward, under an interim ruling by a historic preservation group.
Mayor Gavin Newsom wants solar panels installed on the historic building as the first phase of nebulous plans to turn the streets surrounding City Hall into a so-called sustainability district.
The panels would produce up to 100 kilowatts of power, enough to provide up to 5 percent of City Hall’s annual energy needs. The rest would continue to be provided by hydroelectric power.
The City will seek bids before November from solar panel installers interested in the work, according to Newsom spokesman Brian Purchia.
Speaking in New York in September, Newsom outlined vague plans for an ecotopian wonderland in the gritty Civic Center district, replete with solar towers, windmills, closed streets and bubbling fountains nourished by rainwater.
Nearly a year later, plans for the sustainability district still have not been drafted, according to Purchia, who said planning is being done “as we go.”
The solar panels will be paid for by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and The City hopes to secure federal stimulus funds to help pay for other environmental features within the proposed district, according to Purchia.
The 9,900 square feet of panels would be invisible to passers-by and would not require holes to be drilled through City Hall’s granite walls.
“It’s very clear they’re not going to damage the building,” said Alan Martinez, chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, which recently approved the proposal.
jupton@sfexaminer.com
