Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - September 20, 2007
Seth Hemmelgarn
In a ceremony Thursday, September 13, Project Open Hand celebrated the installation of 132 solar photovoltaic panels and a 10-panel solar thermal system. The photovoltaic panels generate power and the thermal system heats water. PG&E donated $200,000 to pay for the installation. The equipment should save Project Open Hand $12,000 a year.
"Everyone can contribute to reducing the greenhouse gas effect," Bill Morrow, PG&E's president and CEO, said at the ceremony. He referred to the donation as a moral obligation.
Project Open Hand, which was founded in 1985, delivers about 2,400 meals a week to people in San Francisco and Alameda counties who are homebound. Its clients include seniors and people living with illnesses such as HIV and cancer. The agency also distributes 1,500 bags of groceries a week at its Polk Street headquarters in the city and its Oakland facilities.
Each year, the solar panels are expected to produce more than 30,000-kilowatt hours of energy, and the thermal panels are capable of heating 170,000 gallons of water. The system also is expected to offset the emission of about 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Officials said despite the city's reputation for overcast skies, the equipment would get plenty of sun.
The panels are the latest in Project Open Hand's efforts to be environmentally friendly and save money.
"Our goal is to maximize our resources and minimize our carbon footprint," said Sean Rosas, the agency's manager of volunteer services. "Everything we can save goes into making clients' meals."
The agency's efforts so far include composting and recycling, and trading most of its nine-mile-per-gallon cargo vans for fuel-efficient, compact Scions. The agency has wanted solar equipment, but hasn't been able to afford it.
A tour of Project Open Hand quickly reveals how great the need is for electricity. Throughout much of the facility, huge coolers, freezers, and other appliances hum as staff and volunteers work to prepare meals.
The agency hopes to obtain even more energy through solar power, and PG&E donated the infrastructure needed to install more equipment. To fill out the system, the agency needs to raise at least another $150,000. Robert Brenneman, Project Open Hand's director of development and marketing, said it has started identifying and reaching out to potential donors. The agency has an annual budget of $10 million.
The donation is part of PG&E's $7.5 million effort to increase the use of solar power in San Francisco. Tom Nolan, Project Open Hand's executive director, said PG&E has been supportive of the agency since 1989.
Besides PG&E's Morrow, others who attended the ceremony included city Treasurer Jose Cisneros, city Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting, and Paul Pelosi Jr., president of the city's Commission on the Environment and son of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).
Brenneman said the agency always welcomes more volunteers. For more information, visit http://www.openhand.org.
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