Sun rises in energy prominence for Placerville Safeway

Solar energy now powers the cooling and heating systems at the Missouri Flat Safeway west of Placerville."Our roof is full of solar panels," said Johnny Rivera, manager.Fairfield and Dublin Safeways have panels, too, but the trend is still in virtual infancy in the supermarket chain. By year's end, the company hopes to have a total of 23 California stores converted. Chico is next. As far as El Dorado Hills or Folsom, the company would -- all else being equal -- have solar powering for all of its air systems, but the Missouri Flat store ranked especially high in the local area after a checklist of suitability factors was examined, said George Wadelich, vice president of energy operations.Missouri Flat Safeway's solar equipment was installed in December, but will do significant duty now that sunny weather is here, Rivera said. The scene was festive April 21 in Missouri Flat, as the Safeway photovoltaic equipment was unveiled, Rivera said. Panels are not visible from the ground, but some people got a close-up look."We had an event up here, where we took people up on the roof," Rivera said. "We probably had about 40 up there.Some dignitaries attended, including Fourth District State Assemblyman Ted Gaines."I commend Safeway for taking the initiative to invest in renewable energy technology for their stores and doing their part to reduce their energy usage and improve Northern California's air quality," Gaines said. "I hope Safeway's solar store in Placerville will serve as an example to other companies in our region that embracing solar power and alternative energy is a win-win for businesses, the economy and our environment."According to Gaines, the Missouri Flat store is one of 23 Safeway stores across California that will be powered by solar energy. "By switching to solar power at the Placerville and Fairfield stores, Safeway is removing 1.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually," Gaines said.Carbon dioxide emissions are blamed for global warming.Safeway's new energy system is from Sun Technics out of Sacramento, Rivera said. Sun Technics is one of the largest installers of solar systems, with offices in 17 countries worldwide, according to the company Web site.The Telegraph's Roger Phelps can be reached at rogerp@goldcountrymedia.com, or post a comment at folsomtelegraph.com