San Francisco announces first project in solar plan

SAN FRANCISCO -- This often fog-shrouded city on Thursday announced its first solar project in a $100 million, voter-approved quest to become a national leader in harnessing the sun's rays.

Mayor Willie Brown announced a $7.4 million project to install solar panels on the roof of the city's mammoth Moscone Convention Center, a year after voters passed a bond measure to install as many panels as the rest of the nation does in a year.

The upgrade will cut San Francisco's power bill by $639,000 annually, said the city's Public Utilities Commission.

Many photovoltaic panels are planned for the rooftops of hospitals, schools and other city- and county-owned buildings as San Francisco strives to generate more than 10 megawatts of solar power each year, enough for 7,500 homes.