Streetsblog SF

Streetsblog SF
SPUR Talk: Making Renewable Energy a Beautiful Part of the City
By Roger Rudick
Jan 9, 2018

"Power plants used to be located in the middle of cities. Back in the start of the 20th Century, there was no such thing as a high-voltage distribution grid, so small generators were placed right in downtowns. They were often ensconced in beautiful, art-deco buildings that blended with the rest of the street. “But once we were able to raise voltages, we got rid of central locations for power plants, because they were pretty polluting,” explained Robert Ferry, co-founder of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), a Seattle-based non-profit, during a presentation this afternoon at SPUR’s Urban Center in San Francisco. “And we got the power plants we think of today.” Read More >