Peaker Plants Still in Play 

Intense politicking by Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resource Defense Council, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has slowed the momentum behind San Francisco Public Utility Commission’s (SFPUC) proposal to site three combustion turbines (CT) in the Dogpatch neighborhood as a way to retire Mirant Corporation’s 1960s-era Potrero Power Plant. (more...)

       June 2008
       By Heather Tirado           Gilligan

    Black Rock Spreads the Word About Free Solar

Tom Price has worried about his carbon footprint for years, but his concern increased substantially after the birth of his first child six months ago.  So he sat down in his Potrero Hill apartment where he lives with his daughter Juniper Grace and wife Andie Grace and sketched what would eventually become a plan to bring free solar energy to the neighborhood.  “Babies make a lot of laundry, and you don’t always have the energy to hang it outside once it’s through the washer,” Price explained, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the cafe table at Progressive Grounds on Bryant Street.(more...) 

April 25 , 2007
By Kristin Abkemeier

Electricity “Demand Response” Programs Protect Against Black-Outs and Reduce Polluting Air/Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Chances are that if temperatures soar past 100 degrees on a sizzling summer afternoon, as happened throughout the Central Valley and Southern California for almost two weeks last July, some electric utility customers will be asked to turn-off their lights and make do with less air conditioning during the hottest time of the day. And they will gladly do so, having enrolled in one of several state programs which pay electricity users to temporarily reduce their consumption on “critical peak days” when demand is especially high...(more...)

March 20 , 2007
By Kristin Abkemeier

San Francisco to Harness the Power of Food

Fog drifting between San Francisco’s hills is a familiar sight to residents and visitors alike. Fewer people notice how the City’s sewers also fill up with FOG: fats, oils, and grease. A new pilot project to be launched later this year by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and Department of the Environment (SF Environment) will divert FOG from the sewers and convert it into an alternative fuel known as bio-diesel to help power the City’s fleet of diesel-powered vehicles, including Muni buses...(more...)

November 14 , 2006
By Allyse Heartwell

Sailors Put Wind in Electricity Demand Reduction Efforts

Many of today’s yachts feature a nearly endless array of electrical amenities. Sophisticated lighting, high-tech appliances, navigational equipment, and entertainment systems collectively demand bigger batteries that take more time to charge....(more...)

October 7, 2006
By Laird Harrison

City's Power Struggle Continues

On San Francisco’s Southeast shore, the City’s last remaining large power plant raises its tall red chimney like a warning finger...(more...)

October 7, 2006
By Robynne Boyd

Energy Questions 101

We’re an energy dependent society.  From grabbing orange juice from the fridge in the morning, to checking email throughout the day, to switching off our bedside table light before going to sleep, we rely on electricity 24/7.  Yet, many of us don’t know how best to reduce our energy use...(more...)

October 7, 2006
By Cristi Hegranes

Yet More Power Projects Slated for Potrero

When the Hunters Point Power Plant finally closed, Tom King, Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s CEO, remarked that the plant’s closure demonstrated San Francisco’s commitment to environmentally conscious, alternative energy sources. (more...)

June 15, 2006
By Clifford Aggocs

San Francisco Businesses Help Avoid Summer Blackouts

For the past two months George Nasrah, owner of Geary Wholesale Cash n’ Carry in the Bayview, has been getting paid to shut-off the lights... (more...)

April 20, 2006
By R.A. Kay

Beach Front Property May be Coming to Potrero Hill Residents

Janet Carpinelli lives about three blocks from the waterfront in Potrero Hill's Dogpatch neighborhood... (more...)

April 20, 2006
By R.A. Kay

What You Can Do to Combat Global Warming

As politicians argue over what to do about global climate change, tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and other heat-trapping gases are spewed into the air daily... (more...)

January 20, 2006
By Clifford Aggocs

Free Energy-Saving Devices Bring Lower Costs and Peace of Mind to Underserved Neighborhoods

Before outdoor motion-sensing lights were installed at Lisa Anderson's Visitacion Valley home... (more...)

July 20, 2005
By Liz Enochs

Downtown Businesses’ Quick Response Could Help City Avoid Catastrophic Electric Outages

Pat Ware got the e-mail at 10:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday morning in July. Could he cut his energy use by 1:00 that afternoon? (more...)

May 23, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Urban Environmentalism Brings Power to the Poor

For twenty-year-old Michael Johnson, who lives with his family in Visitacion Valley, distributing energy conservation kits to low-income households is more than a job... (more...)

May 19, 2005
By Liz Enochs

San Francisco Considers Entering Electricity Business, Directly Competing With PG&E

Before the 2001 power crisis made “rolling power blackouts” part of the popular lexicon, most San Franciscans had never heard of rotating outage blocks... (more...)

April 21, 2005
By Daniel Porras

New City Task Force to Take on Unsightly Utility Wires

In parts of Portrero Hill and the Mission District, it looks like Spider Man jumped from roof to roof spitting utility wires from his wrists... (more...)

April 15, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Time is Energy

When the clock strikes noon on a weekday, you can almost hear San Francisco’s utility meters clicking faster... (more...)

February 22, 2005
By Matt Isaacs

Pizza May Help Shutter Mirant’s Potrero Hill Power Plant

The promise of fresh pepperoni pizza was enough to assemble most of the key decision-makers responsible for determining the fate of the Potrero Power Plant in early February... (more...)

January 14, 2005
By Andy Isaacson

Tsunami’s Impacts May Mimic Slower Moving Effects of Global Warming

As the Indian Ocean communities devastated by last month’s earthquake-induced tsunami mourn their dead and slowly rebuild, Bay Area residents can’t help but wonder: could it happen here? (more...)

January 14, 2005
By Daniel Porras

Old Refrigerators Can Cost Cool Cash

In a store window on the corner of Cesar Chavez St. and Bryant is an antique refrigerator with an old-style door knob for opening... (more...)