Web site of the month: Solar America Cities

Solar America Cities has engaged more 180 organizations committed to powering their cities with clean, safe, reliable solar energy. (Artwork by U.S. Department of Energy)

The barriers to solar development can be common or unique to an area, so DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has enlisted the help of 25 cities across the country to overcome barriers to sustainable solar markets in their urban communities.

This select group of cities makes up Solar America Cities, a partnership committed to speeding the local adoption of solar energy technologies. The partnership brings together municipal, county and state agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, utilities, developers and solar companies. DOE is providing solar city partners with a combined $5 million in funding, along with substantial hands-on technical assistance over two years.

The partnership's goals include:

• Integrating solar energy technologies into city energy planning

• Removing market barriers to solar energy development that exist in urban planning charters, zoning regulations, building codes, permitting, and inspections procedures

• Promoting solar technology among residents and local businesses through outreach, curriculum development, incentive programs and other innovative approaches.

About the program

Municipalities and utilities can follow the experiences and lessons learned from Solar America Cities on its Web site. To get a quick overview of the program, start with Frequently Asked Questions. You might also want to visit the DOE Solar Program page to learn more about its Market Transformation Activities.  Keep up with the latest developments at the city, program and industry level on the News page.

The solar cities partnership launched in 2007 and 2008, so there is already an extensive library of case studies on these special projects. With Recovery Act funding, 16 cities will be scaling up their most promising projects and concepts to overcome key barriers to urban solar energy use. DOE will be sharing the lessons learned and best practices from these projects with local governments throughout the nation through a substantial outreach effort expected to launch in early 2010.

Assistance for your project

If the experiences of the solar cities inspire your community to investigate its solar prospects, jump to the Resources page. A list of the most recent publications includes DOE's Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments (6 MB pdf). For additional titles and references, select 'More Publications' at the bottom of the page, or search publications by keyword.

Under resources, visitors will also find a project photo gallery and exhibits, including a U.S. map of solar cities that also shows potential solar resources throughout the country. Web links connects you with partnering agencies that can provide technical assistance.

The Events calendar offers a short list of upcoming meetings sponsored by industry associations, as well as by DOE. The agendas and presentations from past Solar America Cities meetings are archived in this section for visitors to download if they wish.

Speaking of presentations, you may want to put one of your own together for your city council or community group. The fact sheets, presentations and photos on the Media page will help. The contact information found here is for the media only, however, there is a link to the contact page for communities and individuals who have more questions about the Solar America Cities program.

Resources

Solar America Cities

Participating cities

Frequently asked questions

DOE Solar Program

Market Transformation Activities

News

Special projects

Resources (cont.)

Technical outreach

Resources

Publications

Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments (6 MB pdf)

Photos and exhibits

Solar America Cities map

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