"I commend SolarCity and British Motors for building the largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Private sector efforts such as this, in combination with our GoSolarSF incentives, will make San Francisco an international leader in solar installations."

SolarCity designed and installed carports atop two British Motors' buildings on the 900 block of Van Ness Avenue. British Motors' historic showroom building at 901 Van Ness Avenue -- a designated San Francisco Landmark -- originally opened in 1927 and was designed by Bernard Maybeck, the nationally-renowned architect who also designed San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts.

"The solar carports are a fantastic addition to our business and look great on our buildings. We're proud to have the largest commercial solar installation in San Francisco, and we have additional solar projects in the works for our other dealerships," said British Motors' chairman and owner Kjell Qvale. "We're on the cutting edge of a green revolution."

The solar system is expected to generate 370,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power 80 San Francisco homes. During the peak months of May through October the system will generate surplus power and earn credits with PG and E, offsetting the less sunny winter months.

"We wanted to do something positive for future generations, and what better way to do it than to adopt clean power," said Jeff Qvale, president of British Motors. "Thanks to SolarCity for designing functional solar arrays that enhance our buildings aesthetically, protect our inventory and provide most of the electricity we need to run our business."

Over its lifetime, British Motors' solar installation is expected to offset an estimated 14 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of planting 6,774 trees. In addition to providing clean, renewable power to British Motors, the structure provides ultraviolet and weather protection for the dealership's automobiles.

"This installation is particularly meaningful to us, because of the historical and aesthetic significance of the buildings," said Peter Rive, SolarCity's co-founder and chief operating officer. "We worked closely with British Motors and the city of San Francisco to ensure that the design is consistent with the existing architecture, and we're delighted with the result."

SolarCity has completed the largest commercial solar installation in a major Bay Area city for the second time this year. The company completed solar arrays spanning five buildings on eBay's north campus in May, the largest such installation in San Jose to date.

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