Ronald McDonald House Charities, which supports families with seriously ill children at local hospitals, has installed a 116-kW roof-mounted photovoltaic solar electric system at its facility in San Diego to create a sustainable environment and to offset power costs. This is the first Ronald McDonald House in California to use solar power.
The solar electric system will produce an average of 147,846 kilowatt hours (kW/h) per year. The environmental offset is equivalent to preventing 151,420 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions each year.
The solar installation was designed and constructed by HelioPower and financed by Helio Micro Utility, and consists of 518 Canadian Solar CS6P-220P polycrystalline modules. PV Powered supplied the 100-kW inverter. Canadian Solar, HelioPower and PV Powered all donated price reductions to benefit the charity.
The solar installation is part of the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego's plan to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The facility uses 17.5 percent less energy than a typical building in California. The building also was constructed from a significant amount of recycled materials. The building provides recycling collection stations to all house guests and employees.
This month, the San Diego House celebrates the one-year anniversary of its 47-bedroom House for overnight guests and Family Care Center.
