Solar American Cities Announced

The U.S. Department of Energy announced March 28 that twelve American cities are going to be part of a large-scale experiment in solar power integration as part of the Solar America Cities program. Each of the dozen cities will receive $200,000 as well as hands-on technical support from experts working for the federal government for integrating solar technology into the cities' infrastructure.

The recent selection of these twelve cities follows on the heels of 2007's thirteen cities brought into the program. The latest 12 cities selected are: Sacramento, San Jose, and Santa Rosa, California; Denver, Colorado; Orlando, Florida; the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Knoxville, Tennessee; Houston and San Antonio, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Solar Cities America is a program part of the Solar America Initiative. The program's objectives is to help cities integrate solar technologies into their energy planning, zoning, and facilities, while streamlining local regulations and practices that affect solar adoption. The program also offers solar financing options to promote the adoption of solar technology among residents and local businesses through educational and incentive programs.

Each city's goals and objectives vary from the others, and the program is intended to create models for the adoption of a wider use of solar power, and thereby create a synergy around the nation for the feasibility of solar becoming more widely used by both government, individual homeowners and private industry.

Berkeley is using their funds from last year to develop programs so installers will bring to consumers a turn-key installation, instead of the hodgepodge of various sub-contractors that a consumer will typically have to hire to effectively turn their property into a solar home or commercial building.

Madison is using their funding to focus on creating a framework of regulations and educational programs to ease, and accelerate, the process for incorporating solar power into retrofitting older buildings and to promote the installation of solar systems in new construction. Madison's convention center became the third in the nation to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design) certification. LEED certification is a third-party verification process designed by the U.S. Green Building Council that buildings are achieving maximum energy efficiency.

Cities selected in 2007 were: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Austin, Texas; Berkeley, San Diego, and San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Madison, Wisconsin; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Tucson, Arizona.

You can learn more about the Solar America Cities program at their web site http://www.solaramericacities.org/, and the Solar America Initiative at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america/ .