Sunny Hills Services

Non-profit Solar Electric Installation Project Profile

Sunny Hills Services (now called Side by Side) in San Anselmo, CA was looking for a sustainable solution to gain control of their rising energy costs. Solar was the right fit. The photovoltaic system will provide clean, green energy and enormous savings for its long-standing facility.

The 53.6 kW solar electric system is roof-mounted on the gymnasium and administration buildings, spanning over 3,963 square feet, helping to shade and cool the building.

Each of the 224 solar panels is controlled by a microinverter, manufactured by Enphase Energy of Petaluma, CA. Microinverters are small, compact units directly attached to each solar panel to convert power independently at the panel, maximizing energy production and reducing impacts from shading. Microinverters increase system efficiency by 10-12%.

The system's solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity and is expected to generate approximately 90,000 kilowatt hours of energy annually, providing sustainable energy to their operations for decades to come.

The new solar energy system allows Sunny Hills to generate enough electricity each day to power over 27 average homes. It will spare the air nearly 40 tons of harmful greenhouse gases annually. Over the next 30 years, the air pollution saved will be equivalent to eliminating nearly 2.7 million miles of driving.

Customer Profile

Sunny Hills Services is a private, non-profit organization serving vulnerable youth and their families. What was originally founded in 1895 as an orphanage and farm in San Anselmo, California is now a regional child welfare organization dedicated to protecting, serving, nurturing and healing at-risk children and adolescents. Today, the agency offers a broad spectrum of residential, educational, mental health, and community based services to hundreds of vulnerable children each year.

"We truly appreciate the effort that SolarCraft put into finding lease financing that is cost-neutral over the seven-year term of the lease—a key criteria for us. Being able to implement this green energy solution means a lot to us, and in addition, it will generate financial savings for the Agency after the initial lease term is up."
~ Mary Denton, CEO, Sunny Hills Services