►
Description
San Bruno Planning Commission Meeting February 15, 2011
6B. Solar Power Presentation
B
My
name
is
Colin
Swan,
I'm
the
founder
and
CEOs
high-tech
Solar.
I
would
like
to
thank
the
Commission
to
give
me
an
opportunity
to
talk
about
something
to
steer
to
the
solar
community,
and
that
is
you
know
when
cities
start
adopting
really
positive
policies
towards
renewable
energy
within
their
within
the
community.
B
As
an
example
two
and
a
half
years
ago,
they
can
open
the
policy
and
said,
but
a
year
2017
they
want
51%
of
all
the
energy
used
in
the
city
of
San,
Francisco,
City
and
County
of
San
Francisco
to
be
from
renewable
energy,
and
what
that
means
is
no
energy.
That's
made
up
from
fossil
fuels
or
neural
energy.
It's
a
health
to
go
to
get
to,
but
one
of
the
aspects
of
it
that
they
had
was
called.
B
There
was
you
know,
so
it's
been
around
for
a
lot
of
a
long
time.
Prior
to
this
there
I
think
it
was
like
somewhere
around
750
homes
had
solar
or
homes
and
businesses
combined
his
solar
within
two
and
a
half
years
that
we've
had
him
there.
We
have
1577
applications
for
solar
and
when
you
think
about
it,
that's
basically
tripling
what
we
had
done
in
the
last
20
years
in
the
space
of
two
and
a
half
years.
Just
by
putting
in
between
two
to
five
million
a
year,
the
our
company
ourselves,
we
focus
on
that.
B
Well,
the
money
that's
in
there.
It
basically
goes
towards.
You
can
be
a
non-profit
business.
You
can
be
a
just,
a
regular
business,
you
can
be
residential
and
then,
if
evidential
split
up
between
what
they
consider
low
income
now
in
San
Francisco,
what
low
income
means
you
could
be
a
person
making
62,000
or
last
year,
you're
considered
low
income.
B
I
know
it's
a
lot
higher
than
the
national
standard,
but
you
did
cities
winner
adopting
policies
they
could
think
about
if
they
want
to
split
up
the
funding
that
they
put
into
it
and
San
Francisco
did
it
that
way.
Quite
a
lot
of
funding
goes
towards
the
low
in
command
of
the
city,
and
we
specialize
in
investing
in
or
its
Dolan
there,
and
we
have
in
the
last
12
months
alone,
installed
solar
for
free
to
125
households
in
San
Francisco.
B
We
are
able
to
get
by
using
the
funding
from
the
go
solar
program
and
from
the
California
Solar
Initiative
right
now,
everybody
in
California.
If
you
look
at
your
PG&E
bill,
you'll
see,
there's
a
small
one
of
those
small
print
fees.
It's
a
dollar
every
month,
you're
contributing
towards
it,
and
you
can
draw
from
that.
It's
not
a
lot
of
money
to
get
from
California.
Roughly
five
percent
of
your
solar
system
that
you
purchased
today
will
you'll
get
a
refund
from
California
in
totals
they've
paid
so
much
9.53
million.
B
That's
what
the
city's
paid
ads
to
date
over
the
two
and
a
half
years
to
install
them.
When
you
consider
the
benefits
of
what
they
didn't.
You
know
the
huge
volume
that
they've
had
if
people
putting
in
solar,
it's
not
too
huge
price
to
pay,
but
there's
a
lot
of
other
benefits
and
the
when
a
city
decides
on
what
you
want
to
do.
B
As
far
as
installing
you
know
coming
up
with
a
solar
policy
for
your
city,
you
start
thinking
about
okay,
if
I'm
going
to
hand
that
this
set
of
money
I
want
to
see
other
benefits
come
back
to
the
city,
and
so
what
San
Francisco
did
was.
You
know
they
have
generated
4.11
megawatts.
It's
worked
out
to
be
roughly
about
12.1
cents
per
kilowatt
hour.
If
you
look
in
your
PG&E
bill,
you'll
see,
the
baseline
rate
is
roughly
about
nine
cents
per
kilowatt
hour
and
this
in
the
first
year.
B
So
the
cost
of
it
is
not
that
expensive,
solar
panels
by
the
way
are
guaranteed.
Last
for
25
years
like
when
you
buy
a
television
set,
you
get
a
warranty
one
year,
they're
warranted
for
25
years,
as
your
TV
set.
You
know,
probably
last
for
25
years,
the
panel's,
probably
last
a
lot
longer
than
that
they
will
go
down
in
performance,
but
they're
guaranteed
a
certain
performance
up
to
25
years.
So
the
return
on
investment
is
quite
good
because
it
goes
if
you
think
about
it.
B
Let's
in
the
last
30
years,
you
know
you're,
looking
at
guaranty
for
25
years,
less
30
years,
there's
being
PG&E.
Basically
on
average
are
charging
our
consumers
about
the
six
percent
increase
per
year.
That's
what's
average
data,
so
the
other
thing
is
to
look
at
is:
is
the
renewable
energy
credits?
These
are,
you
know,
as
time
goes
on
and
as
nations
and
the
specialist
America
starts,
you
know
getting
more
into
this
carbon
trading
and
so
forth,
they're
going
to
be
worth
something
to
city.
B
We
hire
from
people
who
are
unemployed
from
the
construction
industry,
a
lot
of
people
after
bubble
burst,
you
know
been
unemployed
for
multiple
years,
and
this
gives
them
a
new
new
place
to
go.
So
your
community
and
the
people
that
live
in
your
community
have
new
a
new
occupation.
You
know
the
green
power,
you
know
green
color,
job
they're,
able
to
hopefully
be
able
to
use
those
skills
going
into
the
future
and
they
won't
find
themselves
unemployed
again.
B
That's
basically
the
program,
but
a
monetary
now
is
kind
of
talk
to
you
a
bit
about
how
Solar's
changed
over
the
years
from
what
you
see
there,
the
railings
that
are
there
they're,
always
about
three
inches
above
the
rooftop.
Now
the
railings
and
the
end,
the
pounds
always
you
know,
for
safety
reasons
and
for
fire
reasons,
have
to
be
three
feet
away
from
all
edges,
just
in
case
there's
ever
a
fire
in
the
house.
The
firemen
can
actually
get
up
on
there.
The
way
you
see
those
little
boxes
in
between
those
rebels
are
called
micro.
B
Inverters
years
ago,
you
used
to
use
just
one
today,
so
a
lot
of
companies.
It
is
just
one
main
inverter
so
that
the
DC
power
gets
converted
to
AC
power,
which
is
usable,
and
it's
usually
in
your
garage.
The
only
problem
with
that
setup
is
that,
if
one
panel
becomes,
you
know,
obstructed
by
Sun
in
any
way
like
Christmas
tree
lights,
you
take
out
one
light,
all
the
lights
that
work
so
you're,
not
getting
the
high
proficiency
from
all
of
your
pals,
but
using
these
micro
inverters.
B
That
helps
you
greatly
in
vail
to
make
sure
that
each
panel
works
independently
of
the
others
and
that's
what
it
looks
like.
Then,
the
panel's
go
on
top
of
the
racking
system,
they're
connected
to
those
little
boxes
which
the
micro
inverters,
and
this
is
what
it
looks
like
after
it's
installed
now
previously.
Actually,
that's
obviously,
on
a
tilt
roof
year.
You
know
the
angle
of
what
you
do
depends
on
the
size
on
the
tail
to
the
roof.
This
is
on
a
flat
roof.
You'd
always
want
to
have
your
panels
space
in
180
degrees
out.
B
That's
where
you
going
to
get
the
most
Sun
and,
as
you
see
those
standoff
so
standoffs,
we
always
face
it
about
15
to
20
degrees
tilt.
So
it's
not
the
mall
till
to
try
and
get
the
most
done,
and
you
can
have
any
sort
of
configuration
now.
As
you
see
there,
there's
like
five
pounds.
We,
you
know
and
a
lot
of
companies
do
we
use.
Panels
are
getting
better
and
better
as
time
goes
by,
but
some
people
will
look
at
two
waves
in
the
sea
on
one
rift.
B
You'll
see
ten
panels
and
see
you
in
another.
If
they'll
say
five
pounds
and
say
well,
obviously,
ten
pounds
are
going
to
reduce
more
than
25
pounds,
not
necessarily
these
are
two
hundred
and
forty
watt
panels.
Therefore,
if
you're
looking
at
the
roof
with
ten
panels
at
each
panel
is
only
100
watts,
the
five
of
these
two
forties
loves
are
better.
So
when
you're
judging
stuff,
you
seem
things
on
roofs,
you
know
don't
judge
just
by
the
way
it
looks
start.
Thinking
about
you
know
have
productive
are
these
panels.
B
This
guy
said
it
can
be
bit
dangerous
work.
You
know,
but
you
gotta
use
harnesses
you've
got
to
be.
You
know
if
you're
this
actually
is
a
girl
called
destiny
is
hanging
there
with
San
Francisco
in
the
background,
and
but
as
you
can
see,
you
know
it's
quite
a
tilt.
Announce
finished
job
of
it.
As
you
see
it's
very
sheltered
roof,
but
also
you
know,
as
you
see
it
from
the
bottom,
there
were
away
three
feet
so
that
the
fire
people
have
a
fireman,
never
have
to
get
up.
B
It's
another
roof
here,
Oh.
Actually,
this
is
in
san
bruno.
This
is
rick
Posadas
Planning
Commission
Richter
satis
house.
He
had
met
up
with
us
in
San
Francisco.
We
were
working
on
one
of
his
tenants
Oh
one
of
the
houses
he
has
there
and
anyway
asus.
We
were
interested
in
working
here
in
san
bruno
and
we
put
in
quite
a
large
system
here.
It's
18
240-watt
panels.
Sorry,
25
240-watt
panels,
18
on
one
side
of
the
house,
7
on
the
other
side
of
the
house.
B
As
you
can
see,
there
is
the
two
sides
and
it
basically
will
produce
well,
it's
about
6,000
killer,
six
thousand
kilowatt
system,
but
you
know
after
Wendy
factory
ouch
another
change,
whatever
you
always
leaves
about
five
percent,
but
it's
quite
a
large
system
and
which
brings
us
on
to
a
points:
p,
Jeannie,
how
your
system
works
with
pge.
Basically,
when
we
met
with
Rick,
we
said:
ok,
let's
take
a
look
at
your
PG&E
bill
and
we
said:
well,
you
don't
need
25
days
and
he
said
well
actually,
I
want
to
expand
on
a
few
things.
B
So
I
want
that
more
energy
than
that,
I'm
currently
using.
So
we
asked
he
says
that,
plus
my
cell,
in
fact,
it's
possible
pge,
there's
law,
the
California
enacted
that
peach
me
if
you
produce
more
energy
than
you
use,
P
genie
has
to
buy
that
from
you.
So
in
reality
you
are
contributing
to
PG&E
and
in
reality
you
will
be
paid
by
PG&E.
But
it's
until
we,
this
city
and
peachy,
decide
on
the
exact
price
to
going
to
buy
that
energy
from
you.
You
know
you
just
have
to
wait
to
them
right
now.
B
It's
just
credits
they're,
giving
you,
and
it's
quite
interesting
to
think
now
that
homeowners
can
can
actually
be
a
supplier
to
pge,
even
if
you're,
not
using
as
much
energy
or
even
if
you're
not
produced
as
much
energy
as
you're.
Using
the
way
it
will
work
is
that
these
panels,
here
there's
going
to
be
a
line
going
down
right
into
the
garage,
will
be
hooked
up
into
your
circuit,
breaker
box,
4
meter
and
PG
he'll
come
out
they'll
put
in
it's,
not
a
smart
meter.
B
A
B
Great
that
it
comes
out
of
the
San
Francisco
Public
Utilities
Commission,
so
they
are
given
the
budget
each
year,
and
you
know
two
and
a
half
years
ago
was
decided
upon
that,
no
matter
what
the
budget
was
to,
millions
of
five
million
had
to
come
out
of
their
budget
and
that's
basically
clear.
It
comes
from
now
it's
assessed
and
given
to
them,
obviously
by
the
city.
What's
up
every
year
what
the
budget
should
be,
but
the
city
told
them
to
25
million.
That
has
to
come
out
of
that.
B
A
B
A
B
B
We're
doing
this
I
said
you
know,
that's
the
tipping
point
because
about
money
in
there
that's
a
tipping
point
for
the
average
person
to
say
you
know
now
it
makes
fiscal
sense
for
me
to
do
this
and
because
the
paybacks
quicker,
you
know
before
you
were
talking
about
eight
nine
ten
years
before
you
so
I'll
pay
back
now.
You
know
that
it
brought
it
down.
It's
like
five
to
seven
years,
so
I
actually
got
into
the
solar
business
based
on
this
program,
because
I
just
knew
that's
the
tipping
point.
B
I
always
knew
there
was
a
price
problem
and
that's
true
a
lot
of
cities,
especially
these
times.
Don't
have
the
funding
to
do
something
like
this,
but
you
know
it's
something
think
about
when
times
get
better
I
get
stuff.
When
you
start
looking
and
also
when
you
think
about
it,
you
know,
if
you're
doing
job
creation
as
well.
B
You
know
you're
giving
back
to
the
community
or
you're
taking
people
who
you
know,
aren't
contributing
to
society,
just
reach
the
circumstances
that
they,
but
they
found
themselves
in
and
suddenly
now
they're
there
they're
contributing
than
they're
able
to
sustain
their
families
and
so
forth.
Thank.