Solar power for senior center
The City of Milpitas recently cut the ribbon on a new solar and battery storage facility for the community and senior center.
In the case of a power outage or other emergency, the project will allow the senior center power to provide Milpitas residents with shelter and a kitchen. Plus, first responders and city employees can use the center as a charging station to power necessary electronics.
The installation is part of Milpitas’ Smart City infrastructure program, which according to Mayor Rich Tran, “is expected to save Milpitas over $1.5 million in energy and water costs per year for a total savings of more than $30 million over the program’s lifetime.”
Partial funding for the project, totaling $700,000, was provided by a Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Community Resilience grant. In total, the Sunnyvale-based green energy aggregator is investing $5 million in the South Bay communities it serves.
“This is the first grant project to be completed, and we look forward to other communities following Milpitas’ lead.” SVCE CEO Girish Balachandran said in a statement.
For the love of pets
Humane Society Silicon Valley received a $25,000 grant from national nonprofit Petco Love on June 16.
“With this funding, we will continue to grow our community service programs that keep pet owners and animals together in times of hardship and crisis.,” Humane Society President Kurt Krukenberg said in a statement.
“Our investment in Humane Society Silicon Valley is part of more than $15 million in investments recently announced by Petco Love to power local organizations across the country as part of our commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized,” Petco Love president Susanne Kogut said.
Source: www.mercurynews.com