From the Sunset Health Center going carbon-free to San Francisco International Airport becoming more energy efficient, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) Hetch Hetchy Power helps customers reduce their electricity use and prepare for a clean energy future. Hetch Hetchy Power’s latest endeavor, its first resiliency project with the San Francisco Public Library is another powerful example of this work.

As part of a roof renovation at the San Francisco Public Library’s Catalog & Technical Services building, the SFPUC installed a new 95-kilowatt grid-tied rooftop solar array with battery storage, marking the SFPUC’s first resiliency project. That means that in the event of a power outage, the building can disconnect from the main grid, a process known as “islanding,” and operates normally by drawing on the solar energy stored in the batteries, ensuring greater energy reliability and resiliency amidst a changing climate.

This project is important for San Francisco because it can back up critical information from the main library in case they don’t have electricity. It’s also good for the planet, too. Chris Paras, a Utility Specialist at the SFPUC notes, “This project not only reaffirms the SFPUC’s contribution in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 but also ensures that our clean energy services can support San Francisco’s communities in an emergency.”

This is not the first project that the SFPUC and San Francisco Public Library have worked on together. In addition to providing all libraries with clean, 100% greenhouse gas-free Hetch Hetchy Power, the SFPUC has installed solar arrays at the Chinatown and North Beach public libraries. These are just a few of the SFPUC’s 28 solar installations across the City.

Thanks to Hetch Hetchy Power, SFPUC customers, like the San Francisco Public Library can reduce their impact on the environment and help create spaces that are accessible to everyone in San Francisco, no matter what.