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Mayor’s office and PUC outline mitigation measures: solar, loans and EV pilots to help meet 2012 target
Summary
City and PUC officials reviewed mitigation tactics including solar rebates, a 5‑MW Sunset Reservoir solar PPA, a clean energy loan concept tied to property taxes, and an EV charger demonstration; staff noted the city remains behind the 20% below‑1990 target and must scale efforts, especially in transportation.
San Francisco — At the same Feb. 24 workshop, the mayor’s office and PUC staff laid out the administration’s mitigation approach and practical programs intended to reduce city emissions and leverage private capital.
Wade Crowfoot of the mayor’s office highlighted municipal priorities: expanding energy efficiency, advancing community choice aggregation (CCA) through an RFP process, piloting clean energy loan mechanisms that attach low‑interest loans to property tax bills, and supporting municipal renewable projects via power purchase agreements. He noted the PUC‑approved power purchase agreement for the Sunset Reservoir project will create a 5‑megawatt municipal solar installation.
David Osman, acting director at the Department of the Environment, summarized the Climate Action Plan target — 20% below 1990 emissions by Feb. 2012 — and said citywide emissions were about 5% below 1990 levels as of 2005, leaving a significant gap to close, particularly in transportation where local measures alone may be insufficient.
Barbara Hale, assistant general manager for Power Enterprise at the PUC, reported that PUC operations account for roughly 10,997 tons CO2e annually and highlighted facility lighting retrofits (saving ~387,000 kWh/year), 630 kW of on‑site distributed solar and steps to provide energy use reports to other city departments. She also detailed programs supporting other departments, including 2 MW of solar installed on non‑PUC buildings, and an emphasis on the triple bottom line (environmental, economic and social performance) in planning.
Speakers said mitigation and adaptation work are complementary and that the PUC’s role includes both reducing its footprint and helping the city meet broader targets by facilitating financing, technical assistance and demonstration projects. Commissioners requested updates and more detail on timelines and the Department of the Environment and PUC staff said they would provide further briefings.
