EVENT - May 23 San Francisco Solar Confluence

From Rosana Francescato, Solar Gardens Institute's regional coordinator for California's Bay Area:

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Hi,

I'd like to invite you to an event I'm organizing along with the Solar Gardens Institute. Whatever your professional affiliation, if you're interested in community power in California, this event is for you -- and it's free! You do need to sign up and can do so here: bit.ly/sfconfluence

See details below, and please spread the word to others! A promotional poster is attached and is also available here.

San Francisco Bay Area Community Solar Confluence: Bringing Community Solar to California

Date: Wednesday, May 23
Time: 7:00 – 9:30 pm (5:30 dinner gathering at nearby restaurant for those interested)
Location: Pacific Energy Center, 851 Howard Street  San Francisco, CA 94103

The San Francisco Bay Area Community Solar Confluence will bring together community-based organizations, neighborhood residents, advocates for renewable energy, solar developers, local officials, and funders of programs for low income communities and renewable energy projects to learn about community solar models nationwide and opportunities to bring community solar to communities across California. Among the speakers are groups that have led successful community solar initiatives around the country and solar experts from California. Participants will outline obstacles and brainstorm the key ingredients to bringing community solar to California—the policy and financing solutions, organizing efforts, and other initiatives. This event is part of a series of community solar “confluences,” with similar events happening in Boston, New York, Omaha, and Denver. The event is FREE but donations are welcome.

Presentations by:

• Joy Hughes, Founder of Solar Gardens Institute
• Erica Mackie, Co-Founder of GRID Alternatives
• Ted Ko, Associate Executive Director of CLEAN Coalition
• Eric Brooks, Campaign Coordinator at Our City (SF)
• Other speaker announcements to come

Discussion and brainstorming will follow

PLEASE RSVP TO: bit.ly/sfconfluence

What is community solar?

Community solar refers to programs that bring solar power to communities through collective efforts and pooling of resources, generally either through the installation of large solar PV systems with community members owning or subscribing to proportional shares in the system or a process where neighbors join together to collectively install PV systems on their own homes.

Community Solar Can Benefit ALL Californians

Community solar provides opportunities for California residential and commercial renters and building owners to go solar, and is especially beneficial to low-income communities that are unable to afford the high upfront costs of solar. Community solar benefits all Californians, offering opportunities for farmers and rural communities to supplement their income by leasing their land to clean energy projects.

To learn more about community solar and solar gardens, please visit: http://www.solargardens.org/frequently-asked-questions/

Thanks,
Rosana