Santa Rosa was named as one of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar America Cities for a proposal to create Solar Sonoma County, a countywide solar project to increase and accelerate local solar energy production. Santa Rosa is one of 25 cities now recognized by the DOE as Solar America Cities partners committed to solar technology adoption at the local level. Twelve new cities were announced for 2008, with 13 cities named as partners in 2007.
In 2009 the City of Santa Rosa received a second round of funding from the Solar America Cities program and has established a Clean Energy Advocate (CEA) pilot program within Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, which will provide an independent, unbiased advocate to assist homeowners in navigating the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water-use efficiency upgrade process.
The City is in partnership with Solar Sonoma County and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar America Cities Special Projects grant until December 2010.
Visit the CEA website for more information! www.srcity.org/CEA
The City of Santa Rosa's winning proposal is to expand the highly successful Solar Sebastopol program to a countywide effort in partnership with other local cities and the County of Sonoma. The City of Santa Rosa will administer the grant, with details still to be finalized. The funds will assist Santa Rosa’s and its Solar Sonoma County partners’ efforts to increase the amount of solar installations in the County by 25 megawatts over the next three years. Ultimately Solar Sonoma County will become a public-private consortium of local governments, solar companies, businesses, and other groups and organizations.
Solar Sonoma County plans to develop ways to increase local solar energy production, such as:
- Reducing or removing financial barriers for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners
- Creating additional solar and energy efficiency incentives
- Streamlining existing and recommending new local solar policies
- Engaging and educating the public about energy efficiency and solar energy through local events and centralized resources
- Identifying additional projects for achieving initial and future solar energy production goals
- Encouraging local municipalities to install solar on their buildings and properties.
Last fall, a group of interested representatives from county and city governments, solar companies, PG&E, and other local business interests began meeting together to explore the possibility of expanding Solar Sebastopol throughout the county.
Solar Sonoma County