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The City of Berkeley continued in its place at the head of urban green technology, winning a first place City Solar Award from the non-profit Northern California Solar Energy Association (NorCal Solar) as the Bay Area city with the highest number of solar panel systems installed within its borders. 

A NorCal Solar representative made the presentation to the city at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. 

According to NorCal Solar, Berkeley businesses and residents installed more than 443 solar PV systems between 1998 and 2007, a rate of 4.17 installations per 1,000 citizens that beat out such cities as Oakland (1.2 systems per 1000), San Francisco (.84 systems per 1000), and San Jose (.73 systems per 1000). 

In a prepared statement, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates called the award “an honor.”  

“The Berkeley community is serious about reducing green house gas emissions,” Bates said. “By promoting energy efficiency and installing renewable solar energy we are tackling the global crisis of climate change on a very local and personal level.”