clean power

A Guiding Light for FHFA? PACE Fight Turning into Soap Opera Drama

(A message from our friends at VoteSolar)

It seems that soap operas did not, in fact, go away after the 80s.  Because the ongoing saga of efforts to establish Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs play like an energy wonk’s version of ‘As the World Turns’.

We’re writing with an update, and a request to take action to help clean energy solutions in America.

Solar in Small Communities: Profile of Gaston County, NC

The Solar in Small Communities: Gaston County, NC case study (pdf) examines how a medium-sized community can enable and encourage solar development in their community. The case study aims to share Gaston County’s efforts with other local governments as a testimony to the successful installation of solar energy on a local government facility and details the lessons learned from the experience. The case study also provides guidance for other local governments looking to install solar energy on municipal property.

NREL Report on Distributed Solar Incentive Programs

In December NREL released a new report that should be of interest to local governments: Distributed Solar Incentive Programs: Recent Experience and Best Practices for Design and Implementation (pdf).

From the Executive Summary:

Community Shared Solar: Diverse Approaches for a Common Goal

Community-shared solar makes it easy for individuals and organizations unable to take advantage community shared solar cover of on-site renewable energy generation to benefit from distributed generation. From California to New York, community-shared solar programs are making a strong showing, especially among utilities. And consumers are the beneficiaries, from renters and individuals who live in multi-tenant buildings, to those who don't have adequate or appropriate roof space, and individuals who simply don't want solar panels on their roof.

Solar and Historic Preservation: How to Manage Expectations

Download this new case study from the North Carolina Solar Center. Here's a summary:

The Managing Expectations case study examines common impediments to integrating solar energy into historic districts, how communities worked to overcoming such challenges, steps along the way in which stakeholder engagement was cultivated and adaptability of lessons learned to other communities. Portland, Oregon and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma have been chosen as examples of communities who have successfully integrated solar into their respective local historic preservation policies.

Download Now (pdf)

This case study was created as part of the North Carolina Solar Center’s efforts under the SunShot Solar Outreach Partnership, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. As a member of this partnership, the North Carolina Solar Center provides information and technical expertise to local governments interested in implementing solar programs and policies.

Updated Tool Helps State and Local Governments Make the Case for Clean Energy

EPA has just released version 2.4 of the Co-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) screening model, a free tool that helps state and local governments estimate and map the potential air quality, human health, and related economic benefits from clean energy policies or programs (due to expected reductions in particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia , and volatile organic compounds).

Steps to a Successful Solar RFP

With autumn upon us, we at The Solar Foundation are ready to share the fruits of our labor. That’s right: TSF has come out with a brand new informational product for you to read and share with your local government reps!

Today's release of Steps to a Successful Solar RFP builds upon our commitment to help local governments “go solar.” Our new issue brief, produced as part of our work with the U.S. Department of Energy's SunShot Solar Outreach Partnership, helps reduce the hurdles to going solar by providing local governments with the requisite knowledge to develop successful Requests for Proposals (RFPs). In this brief, readers will learn the essential elements of a solar RFP, receive guidance in evaluating proposals, and be directed to a bevy of resources, tools, and sample documents to optimize their solar procurement efforts.

Cambridge Launches Interactive Map to Show Solar Power Potential

From MIT News:

MIT researchers have developed a new interactive map to show Cambridge property owners how much electricity can be produced on their rooftops from solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, how the financial investment will pay off and how much pollution will be reduced.

View the Solar Map >>

The new tool shows that if photovoltaic panels were installed on all good and excellent locations, Cambridge could generate about a third of its electricity needs via PV for about $2.8 billion. The technology has been found to predict electricity yield to within 4-10 percent of actual measured results.

Case Study: City-Led Solarization in Beaverton, OR

Solarization programs are all the rage, and the City of Beaverton, OR’s Solar Beaverton program was a resounding success. This innovative program helped residents add 258 solar installations, created 15 local jobs, increased the City’s solar permitting by 2,500% (and generated $76,000 in permitting fees), and changed the way the City of Beaverton wrote RFPs. Solar Beaverton helped Mayor Denny Doyle win a U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Award in 2012.

In ICLEI’s latest case study, learn how Solar Beaverton accomplished so and how the City structured the program to maximize the local economic benefits. Beaverton staff share their lessons learned, such as how choose a vendor, how to get more from your RFP respondents, how to involve elected officials in the program promotion, and how to get buy-in from the permitting department.

View the Case Study

Installing Solar Panels on Historic Buildings

Photo credit: North Carolina Solar Center website

Cultural resources such as historic buildings and districts occupy an important place in our nation’s built environment; however these same resources are often considered impediments to achieving a community’s energy efficiency and renewable energy goals. While this assumption is at times unfounded, the fact remains that certain regulatory practices may limit the use of renewable energy technologies on historic resources.