PECAN "OFF-THE-GRID" PROJECT

Dedication of a new solar panel system

Los Angeles - For the first time ever, a City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks facility will go completely off the City's electrical grid by using solar energy to provide clean, renewable electrical power. The Department dedicated and officially pulled the plug on Pecan's "Off-the-Grid" Project on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, further demonstrating the City's commitment to reducing the use of fossil fuels.

The new solar panels were installed over the renovated outdoor basketball/volleyball pavilion and will generate enough energy to power 22 homes, creating more energy then the park actually needs. The system is estimated to generate 46,382 kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity per year. Only a small amount of the electricity produced will "feed" the park's child care center, office and restroom buildings, while the majority will be transmitted to the utility.

The Off-the-Grid Project also includes improvements to the outdoor basketball/volleyball pavilion (new concrete floor, backboards, rims and nets, refurbishing and repainting of the roof and installing screens to prevent birds from entering the interior of the structure's frame) and the new playground and picnic area.

Harry Surmenian, a recently retired Recreation and Parks' employee, was honored at the celebration for leading the Department's solar initiative. The Department of Recreation and Parks also was honored with a $113,532.00 rebate check from the Department of Water and Power's Solar Program for the Pecan project.

Pecan Recreation Center is located at 145 South Pecan Street in Los Angeles 90033. For more information on this project or the Department of Recreation and Parks visit our website at www.laparks.org or call (213) 202-2700.