By Dave Bates

Hughes Marino is proud to announce that Jewish Family Service of San Diego has completed another important phase of its campus remodel project in Kearny Mesa. The two-building Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus on Balboa Avenue, had photovoltaic (PV) arrays installed, which means JFS is now reaping the benefits of producing its own energy on site.

The 216 kW system consists of 864 panels on the two buildings – enough to power approximately 40 homes. JFS was able to take advantage of not only producing power for its campus, but also benefiting from rebate programs and net metering to help the project make sense financially.

Money was not the driving factor for JFS though. As a community service provider devoted to helping San Diegans in need, it was the organization’s values that prompted this project. Senior Director of Marketing Michael Stern explained that JFS was guided by the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam – a concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world. According to Stern, “JFS is committed to doing its part to be a responsible steward of our planet. Environmentally-friendly features of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus, including solar panels, Solatubes, and water-wise landscaping, directly reflect this value and our agency’s mission to build a stronger, healthier, more resilient San Diego.”

Baker Electric, responsible for designing and installing the photovoltaic arrays, helped JFS evaluate the economics of its system, including investigating power purchase agreements (PPAs), which would have allowed JFS to benefit from the power generation without actually owning the system. Ultimately, however, JFS determined that it would actually be preferable to purchase the system.

With the installation of the photovoltaic system, the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus is all but complete, save for a few final details. The project has been a labor of love, which saw the complete remodel of two neighboring buildings that were unified into a single campus to house the JFS headquarters and a community service facility. The campus, which includes administrative offices, a commercial kitchen, two food pantries, an outdoor children’s play area and even an edible garden, remained occupied throughout construction. JFS celebrated the campus’ grand opening on January 31, 2016.

Hughes Marino would like to thank the JFS team for giving us the opportunity to help them with this project. Also, a big shout out to Baker Electric, whose technicians performed the work in a professional, safe and efficient manner, and made the project run very smoothly.