Chinese Hospital – Solar health no bore for the boar

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太平洋煤電公司與三藩市東華醫院組成合作伙伴關係,準備在來年發
展屋頂太陽能系統。該系統將因應新醫院大樓的建築而設計,自行發
電以協助供應新醫院大樓的電力所需。

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SAN FRANCISCO – It’s the Year of the Boar, and to help celebrate the new year, PG&E and the Chinese Hospital of San Francisco announced a partnership to go green in the heart of Chinatown…with a solar celebration.  The first step was to announce the partnership, and debut an educational display that will allow every visitor at the hospital the opportunity to learn about solar energy.

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The 100+ year old Chinese Hospital has a long and rich history, and is truly an icon in San Francisco- many of the dignitaries at the event were personally involved with the hospital…many were born there (including San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew), and have had children and grand-children born at the hospital. The Chinese Hospital serves as both a traditional hospital, and provides a variety of health education services for the community. At the event, PG&E and the hospital officially announced their intent to build the new Chinese Hospital (a major retrofit/upgrade to the building pictured above) with a new solar electric rooftop installation.

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Designs are being finalized for the new Chinese Hospital, but the images above offer a glimpse of what’s coming… This is a 36 kW PV system (valued at over $200,000 after PG&E CSI rebates), and will produce over 60,000 kWh a year saving the hospital over $8,000 a year. SolarCity provided design services for the images above.

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“We are honored to be the beneficiary of such a generous donation, “Said Joe Chan, Board President of Chinese Hospital, “PG&E has been providing energy audits for us to substantially increase cost savings. Going green benefits our environment while freeing up resources to improve the services we provide our patients.”

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“PG&E is committed to increasing solar on San Francisco rooftops,” said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, “Solar energy is only one of the many forms of power we can generate that decreases carbon dioxide emissions to improve our quality of life.” PG&E’s donation of this photovoltaic system is part of a $7.5 million commitment to increase solar installations throughout San Francisco.

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In addition to installing solar panels, the new Chinese Hospital will also be fitted with energy efficient lighting fixtures and technical equipment that will substantially decrease their use of energy and lower their energy bills at the same time. The Chinese Hospital is the second non-profit candidate in San Francisco to benefit from the company’s solar program.

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Now…for just a bit of trivia… The Chinese calendar has been in continuous use for centuries (possibly since the Qin Dynasty – 221 – 206 BC). The Gregorian Calendar, the calendar most of us use on a daily basis, was decreed in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII (a mere 425 years). The Chinese calendar measures time, from short durations of minutes and hours, to intervals of time measured in months, years and centuries, entirely based on the astronomical observations of the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars.

“Guo Nian” to all. Do you know your Chinese Sign?

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