Ian Anonuevo helps to flip the switch on clean energy projects in San Francisco. 

As an Electronic Maintenance Technician and Supervisor for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Power Enterprise for six years, Anonuevo and his team are responsible for constructing and maintaining electrical equipment on numerous SFPUC-owned developments in the City. 

Right now Anonuevo is busier than ever working on multiple projects to support the SFPUC’s two clean power programs, Hetch Hetchy Power and CleanPowerSF. Most recently, he and his team erected a solar system at the War Memorial Opera House—one of 19 systems the SFPUC owns and operates in the City—and installed electrical equipment for a new Solar + Storage system at the Police Academy in Diamond Heights. These projects all help San Francisco on its way to meeting its 100% renewable electricity goal by 2030.

But the City’s clean energy future isn’t the only thing that preoccupies his daily routine. He also prioritizes his team’s safety, now more than ever with the coronavirus pandemic. “When the COVID-19 outbreak began, I quickly instituted social distancing among my teams,” he says. “Instead of assigning tasks and distributing materials in person, I now rely on emails and phone calls to distribute work and materials. Everything has changed.”

He notes that while important, social distancing is a tremendous challenge for his team. A lot of the electrical work requires two people, so Anonuevo had to get creative. “We had to come up with ways to have people do two-person tasks without getting close to each other.” He devised a schedule to ensure crews were staggered on tasks and not close to each other. For example, on the War Memorial Opera House solar project, one person wired the solar panels and another connected an inverter at opposite ends of the roof. 

Fortunately for Anonuevo, he spends his free time not on his phone coordinating work duties and supplies. He loves to off-road and has been venturing to the Sierras in his Toyota 4Runner since 2016. He also spends a lot of time with his family, including two children, in his hometown of Vallejo, California. 

However, health and safety are always on his mind. When asked about any new habits during the pandemic, Anonuevo laughs and replies, “Hand sanitizers and masks are my new friends.”