Lovelock Pershing General Hospital hospital switches to solar

BILL O'DRISCOLL
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 11/21/2007

Lovelock's Pershing General Hospital will shrink its carbon footprint with help from Burning Man-affiliated volunteers.

Black Rock Solar, a nonprofit project of Black Rock City LLC, producer of the annual Burning Man event, is installing photovoltaic solar panels at the hospital that eventually will generate 60,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.



The project, to be completed by today, is getting a boost from Sierra Pacific Power Co.'s SolarGenerations program, which will provide a $150,000 rebate allowing the Burning Man organization to do the work for free.

The solar panels will provide an estimated $130,000 of free, carbon-neutral energy for the hospital over the next 20 years, according to Sierra Pacific.

And they could supply up to one-half of the hospital's energy needs, Pershing General Hospital CEO Matt Rees said.

"It will save the hospital thousands of dollars annually, which represents dollars that can be invested in new medical equipment," he said. "We're also pleased because this is a green project, so we are helping protect the environment."

Black Rock Solar also is installing a

90-kilowatt solar system for schools in Gerlach, near the Black Rock Desert where Burning Man is held. That system is expected to be completed in December.

[tagname tagname]