Solar Dedication
Home-Away-From-Home for Families in San Diego with Hospitalized Children Celebrates One-Year Anniversary with Solar Electric System
June 30, 2010 - On a sunny day in San Diego, Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego welcomed guests from Helio Power, Canadian Solar,Inc. and PV Powered, along with reps from various Environmental agencies to a dedication ceremony for their newly installed solar power panels. Surrounded by these guests, as well as board members, staff and houseguests, Bill Lennartz, president & CEO shared the good news that the solar power is now turned on and running at the House!
(Pictured: Ronald McDonald House guest, Kim Abramson and year old son, Colby, joined Mike Miskovsky of Canadian Solar, Bill Lennartz, RMHC-SD President and CEO, and Steve Russo of HelioPower to view the solar panels on the roof of the facility.)
“RMHC-SD decided to pursue solar energy to create a healthy and sustainable environment for the children and families we serve, and to help greatly offset power costs,” said Bill Lennartz, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. “Our partners have been vital to our success as a resource to families in some of the most challenging times of their lives, and we are excited to now be producing clean solar energy to help us provide care to even more families.”
Bill introduced houseguest, Kim Abramson, who provided a heartfelt perspective on the impact the House has on so many families. With her 1 year old son, Colby in her arms, she shared her family's story of staying at the San Diego Ronald McDonald House during Colby's medical treatment for a rare heart condition, at Rady Children's Hospital. She joyfully shared that she was able to take Colby home just two days ago, but will always be very grateful for the four months of care and compassion she received from everyone she encountered during her stay. She also recalled the many days she and her husband spent sleeping in their car in the early part of Colby's treatment, before they became aware of the services offered by the House. She emphasized that the staff and volunteers "don't realize what a difference they make every day".
The solar installation was designed and constructed by HelioPower and financed by Helio Micro Utility. These modules are among the top-ranked in the industry, which are quickly becoming universally accepted standards for measuring real-world module energy production and performance. PV Powered, Inc., an Advanced Energy company, supplied the 100kW inverter. Canadian Solar, HelioPower and PV Powered all donated price reductions to benefit the charity. Katrina Perez, of the California Center for Sustainable Design, was also present to deliver a "Solar Partners Recognition Award" to the charity.