San Francisco Signs Onto Green Civic Center Plan
by Alex Smith, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
An Artist's Rendering of the Green Civic Center
San Francisco, just recently ranked the second greenest city in the US, forged a partnership yesterday with the Clinton Global Initiative to green the city's Civic Center.
At the heart of San Francisco, the eco-friendly Civic Center will include solar rooftops, living roofs and water conservation fixtures. The three year process of greening the building will begin October 20th.
By going green, the new Civic Center will reduce it's water use by 80 percent and it's wastewater discharge by 45 percent. It will also decrease its energy use by 33 percent and meet 35 percent of it's peak power needs with renewable energy resources.
Looks like another great move by the self-proclaimed ecothusiastic city.
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Good for SF. But I don't understand these projects that meet 35% of peak power. A factory only meeting 35% I can understand, but offices? I threw a few solar panels on my home and I meet more than 100% of my total power and maybe 150% of peak with these panels. I'm not living like a monk.
I would think with the usual upgrading of insulation, dropping incandescent lights, that sort of thing SF could meet 100% and so could a lot of other non-industrial complexes.
Is it pure economics -- solar panels are too expensive?
Jon K, i think the energy consumption per volume must be a lot more than a house.
My question is, what are they using to cut 35%Peak power?