San Diego to test new solar system on a city building

source: Ray Huard San Diego Union Tribune 2002.9.17

A pilot program to test a new form of solar electric system on city buildings was approved by the San Diego City Council yesterday.

"We need to work at converting city buildings to solar power to see if that is cost-effective," said Mayor Dick Murphy, who has made energy independence one of
the 10 goals of his administration.

"If we're going to make progress here, we can't be too timid," Murphy said.

Under the $419,177 pilot program, Kerr Enterprises Inc. will install thin-film glass solar cells on the roof of the Metropolitan Operations Center of the city
Metropolitan Wastewater Department in Kearny Mesa, said Thomas Alspaugh, a department senior mechanical engineer.

A $135,000 grant from the San Diego Regional Energy Office will help cover the cost to the city.

The system is expected to generate 58,366 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, which would reduce the city's annual energy costs by about $10,200. It will
produce enough electricity to meet about 20 percent of the building's needs, Alspaugh said.

If the project is successful, Alspaugh said, similar solar systems could be used on other city buildings.

Critics said the thin-film form of solar cell could cause pollution problems because they contain cadmium, a toxic metal.

"We definitely are in favor of moving forward with solar but have some questions about this technology," said Mary Niez, Southern California regional chairman
of Greenpeace Clean Energy Now California.

Niez said the city would be better off choosing more conventional forms of silicon solar cells, which don't use cadmium.

Alspaugh said the thin-film cells show more promise of being mass-produced and are less expensive than the more conventional technology. Alspaugh and
Barbara Kerr of Kerr Enterprises said the amount of cadmium in the solar cells is far less of a danger to the environment than the amount of cadmium from
batteries used for toys and other products.

They said the solar cells can be recycled or disposed in a way to prevent pollution from cadmium.

Ray Huard: (619) 542-4597; ray.huard@uniontrib.com