Question 1

Do the panels touch the drinking water?

Accepted Answer

No. The reservoir stores treated water under a concrete lid, and the panels sit on top of that lid. The array's power feeds city facilities, not the water directly.

Question 2

Does the fog make rooftop solar in the Sunset pointless?

Accepted Answer

No, but it does lower the yield. Summer afternoon fog cuts midday output compared with sunnier eastern neighborhoods, so annual production is smaller, not zero, since panels still work in bright overcast.

Question 3

If I am on CleanPowerSF, is my power coming from the reservoir?

Accepted Answer

Not literally. CleanPowerSF buys clean power on your behalf and it blends onto the same shared grid. The reservoir's output mostly serves municipal buildings through Hetch Hetchy Power.

Question 4

Can I ask the city to put solar on my house?

Accepted Answer

No, the municipal program is for public buildings. For a home system you would look at incentives and net billing through your utility and CleanPowerSF, not the SFPUC roof program.

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