Plugging in the Oakland Zoo
The Oakland Zoo was just recently plugged into the sun, and the PG&E Solar Schools Program. They’re planning a big Earthday celebration on April 15th…please consider joining for the festivities, and we will be there to talk about how their new solar electric system fits in to Earthday, which is every day… We will also be making a few big announcements at the Zoo, so stay tuned!
For those of you that are expecting an installation of your own, or just curious, here’s how a 1kW gets plugged in to the the sun:
To plug a pole into the sun, first, the earth must be prepared…trenches are dug, moles are deployed, and the path for the electricity to flow from the 1kW system to the building is laid out. All of our systems are grid tied.
Next, a suitable pole is located and plugged into the sun…
Ok, that part about plugging the pole into the sun isn’t entirely necessary, but we thought it was a fun picture. The team was out for one day to prepare the earth, and set the pole. They came back a couple days later to install the rack, and connect the photovoltaic modules in series. With a good plan with the project team and customer and a dedicated installation team, it really is almost this easy.
This is what it looks like nearly complete. This 1kW solar monument stands to orient everyone with ONE…and urge everyone to learn about renewable energy, and think more broadly about sustainability issues. The photovoltaic modules represent the one, and a home owner may need three of these to power their home for the year (using PG&E’s net-metering and California Solar Initiative rebates), and a business may have 20 to 100+ to power their business…or at least offset a portion of their use. The point is for all of us to learn about solar power, and how to plug it in most effectively and prolifically in our relative spheres. We ask that our partners help anyone interested take the next solar step after seeing this work of science and art. For instance, SolarCity helps customers achieve sizeable discounts through their Community Solar Programs.
While the Zoo was the latest (and first Zoo) to plug into their piece of the sun through the PG&E Solar Schools Program, don’t worry. There’s still plenty of sun for all of us…surge the sun…