The Crucible was founded on the principle of the reuse and re-purposing of objects--keeping them out of the waste stream and finding unique uses for them. But the energy-intensive metal fabrication, welding, blacksmithing, glasswork and casting done here puts high demands on energy consumption, and since The Crucible had already taken steps to reduce waste, a solar PV system was the logical next step. 

The finished array of solar panels

Michael Sturtz and Board President, Fred Winslow
receive the rebate check from PG&E's Ophelia Basgal, VP Civic Partnership & Community Initiatives

“As a community organization, a cornerstone of our mission is to be environmentally sustainable in supporting the arts.  As a nonprofit organization, our high energy needs also motivated us to look into ways to alleviate that cost. Undertaking a solar energy project fit right in with both of these goals.” 

Michael Sturtz,
Executive Director of The Crucible

The solar project was a joint effort among community and trade organizations, energy coalitions, volunteers, and progressive equipment manufacturers.  Begun in 2005, when the PG&E rebate levels for large-scale applications were readily available, the Crucible partnered with Cooperative Community Energy and Marin Solar for the installation, which included a cooperative workforce involving the art students from the Crucible and trainees from the local Cypress Mandela Pre-Apprenticeship Training Center in West Oakland.

Since May 2006, Crucible’s 56,000 square foot studio has used the sun’s energy to generate much of the electricity we use with a 34-kilowatt photovoltaic solar electric system consisting of 240 Sharp 170 solar photovoltaic modules mounted on aluminum racking atop the roof.  During the day, the solar panels absorb sunlight, creating direct current (DC) electrical power that is converted to alternating current (AC) electricity by six SMA America Sunny Boy 6000 inverters. This power is either used by The Crucible or fed back into PG&E’s electrical distribution system.

System Effectiveness

Predicted power production for the system was 5218 kwhr per month or 62,616 kwhr per year.  Average actual energy produced is 5292 kwhr per month or 63,504 kwhr per year--approximately the same annual electrical usage as eight California homes. As The Crucible’s activities and programs have expanded, electrical use has grown.  The system now produces about 35% of the total annual need vs. the original 70% estimated in 2005. 

The total solar project cost of approximately $260,000 was covered by individual donations from The Crucible’s supporters, financing of $106,000 by SafeBidco, and a one-time $119,525 rebate through PG&E’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP).  The nonprofit also qualified for a City of Oakland expedited building permit at reduced cost offered to solar installations.

Solar power, long touted for its role in a sustainable energy future, still provides less than 1% of California's electricity. Yet despite many hurdles, solar developments like that at The Crucible serve to provide leadership and a model for a national and worldwide flowering of solar energy. 

Our partners:

Marin Solar creates affordable, attractive, and efficient photovoltaic power systems. Their mission is to provide customers with the highest quality, best looking, and most competitively-priced solar systems on the market today.

SAFE-BIDCO acts as a catalyst for economic development, serving as a non-traditional financing source for existing and start-up businesses, whose financing needs are underserved by traditional lending institutions. Created by the Legislature, SAFE-BIDCO operates several state and federal loan and guarantee programs that can assist all types of small businesses at almost every stage of their development.

SMA is a manufacturer of solar inverters, SMA Technologie AG is the European and North American market leader in solar technology.

Cooperative Community Energy or CCEnergy's goal is to make renewable energy so familiar and affordable to homeowners, businesses, and municipalities that the choice to install a solar system becomes as simple as buying electricity from the centralized power utility.  The Co-op's main focus is purchasing solar photovoltaic and thermal systems and managing residential, commercial, and municipal solar installation projects, with plans to broaden their scope to include helping members purchase other forms of renewable energy such as wind.

Cypress Mandela Pre-Apprenticeship Training Center is a nationally recognized for turning people’s lives around to positive career paths through training in electrical, hazardous materials and construction jobs, the Cypress Mandela/WIST Training Center offers a 16-week pre-apprenticeship program for Bay Area men and women over 18 years old. Training is both hands on and in the classroom and prepares students for skilled trades jobs relevant to today's construction industry.

PG&E's Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) administers California State funds available to customers who install certain types of distributed generation facilities to meet all or a portion of their energy needs.

The Crucible would like to thank everyone who helped make our Solar Installation a reality. 

Special thanks to the following for their passionate commitment to this project:
           
            John Hubenthal, Sr. Project Manager – Marin Solar
            Erin McMahon, Design & Engineering – Cooperative Community Energy
            Max Meyer, Project Manager – Cooperative Community Energy
            Dann Davis, Projects Manager - The Crucible

Additional thanks to our major donors:

            Jeremy Crandell
            Fred Winslow

Solar Facts:

In 2007, The Crucible produced approximately 35% of the power in required for it’s operation.

Note: Average California home uses about 8,000 kwh / year. Household Energy, UCI