You're seeing snow. City of Pittsburgh officials are thinking sun power.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl today led off an all-day seminar for city building inspectors, planners, engineers and redevelopment officials on the potential for, and problems with, solar energy here. The mayor said that by fall, city government plans to install its first solar facility -- a hot water heating system -- on a fire house, either in Observatory Hill or Westwood.

"Despite looking outside today, with the snowy weather, Pittsburgh is a Solar America City," said Mr. Ravenstahl, referring to the Department of Energy designation placed on the city in 2007 that gives it access to $200,000 in grant money and technical assistance of the same value. There are 25 Solar America Cities.

"One common misperception about solar in the United States is that it only works in the Southwest or Florida," said Thomas Kimbis, director of market transformation for the Department of Energy, who attended today's seminar. He pointed out that European countries, especially Germany, are now considered the leaders in solar installation. "We have quite a lot of sun here in Pittsburgh compared to what they have in [parts of] Europe."

A few score of city employees, and some representatives from private firms and the nonprofit world, were learning today about the city's solar potential. There may be another such workshop around the time the firehouse water heating system is installed, said city energy and utilities manager Jim Sloss.

Meanwhile, a city task force aided by research firm Sandia National Laboratories will continue to look at ways of evaluating other city buildings for transitioning to solar power, and ways of removing bureaucratic, financial and technical barriers to putting solar systems on private buildings.

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.