Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Solar Panels on Davies Symphony Hall



Last Friday afternoon, there were suddenly 575 solar panels sitting in the parking lot next to Davies Symphony Hall.



A huge crane stood patiently nearby, and when I walked by the site three hours later, both the panels and the crane were gone. That's some fast work, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, a phrase I have never read before, so congratulations.



According to Tyrone Jue at the SFPUC, the installation on the roof is scheduled to last six weeks. By the end of their labors, the system should be outputting 200 kilowatts, which will supply about 20% of Davies' energy usage. This is a huge amount, even after an energy conservation initiative at the auditorium a couple of years ago, as the building seems to be lit for a performance every week, six nights out of seven.

3 comments:

AphotoAday said...

about 350 watts per panel--I was curious so I worked it out.
I understand the Chinese have a corner on the necessary rare-earths used in the manufacture of the solar cells.

Civic Center said...

Dear Donald: Good math. Don't know about solar rare-earth China cornering, but wouldn't be surprised.

Hattie said...

Excellent news!