Mayor Gavin Newsom joined southeast community leaders and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) this week to ‘flip the switch’ and commence operation of a new 255-kiloWatt solar electric system at the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant. The SFPUC’s latest solar electric project utilizes a photovoltaic array to convert sunlight directly into energy at the City’s largest wastewater treatment facility. Covering 20,000 square feet of rooftop, the solar project complements San Francisco’s largest municipal installation at the Moscone Center, providing the plant with more than 300,000-kiloWatt hours per year – the equivalent energy to power 170 homes at peak output.



“By investing in solar deployments, San Francisco is continuing national leadership in development of renewable energy programs and meeting a growing portion of the City’s municipal electricity needs with clean energy resources,” said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Reliable solar generation benefits both San Francisco and the entire Bay Area region by reducing congestion on the electricity grid as well as improving air quality.”

The Southeast Plant treats more than 80 percent of the daily wastewater flow from San Francisco’s sewer system. The Plant’s new solar array will provide 11% of the facility’s electrical requirements and is estimated to save $38,400 in annual energy costs. In addition, the in-City power generation will reduce peak demand by 6% at the Southeast Plant to strengthen electric system reliability in San Francisco.