Solar Cities Projects Provides Lessons Learned

Local government political actors should pay close attention to a series of special projects designed to increase solar energy use in local communities. Lessons learned from these Solar American Cities could be used to spur initiatives throughout the county.

The projects, part of a $10 million solar initiative sponsored through the Department of Energy (DOE) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, have shown impressive results in areas such as solar financing modeling, streamlined solar permitting processes, and training initiatives for solar installers, among other accomplishments. DOE will share the lessons learned and best practices with local governments throughout the nation through a substantial outreach effort planned to launch in early 2010.

Of particular interest is an effort in Salt Lake City, Utah, designed to develop a plan for at least ten megawatts of new photovoltaic (PV) installations in the government, commercial, industrial, and residential sectors by 2015.

In San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved a landmark $100 million bond initiative to pay for solar panels, energy efficiency, and wind turbines for public facilities.

Even rainy Seattle has a program to develop a sustainable financial and ownership model to addresses all legal, technical and logistical requirements to community solar, and will market the program and enroll participants.

For more info see: U.S Department of Energy: Solar American CitiesU.S. Department of Energy: OverviewU.S. Department of Energy: Substantial Outreach effort U.S. Department of Energy: Salt Lake City U.S. Department of Energy: San Francisco U.S. Department of Energy: Seattle

Michael Manford McGreer is author of "No Harm, No Foul, Bio-terrorism in the 21^st Century.