San Francisco Assessor Phil Ting shares a laugh with solar expert and fellow Harvard alum David Hochschild in front of a rooftop solar array just before today’s press conference. They will co-chair the task force.

Standing atop the Moscone Center this afternoon, S.F. Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting announced the creation of the San Francisco Solar Task Force. It plans to issue a set of recommendations to assist San Franciscans who want to go solar. Phil pointed out the confusing choices consumers have when they want to get into solar. He said it was relatively easy for him to buy his hybrid gas/electric car because he knew he could simply go to a Toyota dealership, but consumers who want to lower their electricity bills through photovoltaics have a much more complicated task. He said existing state and federal incentives to assist consumers could be complimented by local programs.

The task force plans to issue a full report of their recommendations in June. We’ll keep you posted. A little more info on this issue after the jump.

Here are some more quotes from Phil about solar. Collect them all!

“As impressive as this ... array [is], it only represents the first step towards transforming our City into the nation’s leader in solar energy. With the approval of a $100 million solar bond in 2001 the City committed to obtaining all municipal energy from pollution-free sources, yet there is more work that needs to be done to involve the business community and homeowners.”

“The work of the Task Force will have a special impact on the bottom lines of small business in the City as they work to account for the increase in minimum wage and the additional costs of providing sick leave and health care for their employees. Reducing the costs of installing solar systems on their rooftops will provide not only a health and environmental benefit to the City, but provide these business owners some much needed financial relief from the high cost energy market and from doing business in the City.”

“San Francisco has been an incubator for cutting edge policy-making, and I am excited about the reach that our work can have. Especially with Speaker Nancy Pelosi leading Congress, San Francisco is poised to help lead the way toward the clean energy technologies of the future.”