tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20495361036168530842024-03-04T20:21:38.225-08:00Solar GardensSolar Gardens, Community Solar Farms, Solar Co-ops, Community Supported Energy, Solar Shares, Offsite Solar, Virtual Net Metering
------- Community PowerJoy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.comBlogger740125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-2810376441779373952018-02-20T03:11:00.003-08:002018-02-20T03:11:21.854-08:00Progress and Peril in Puerto Rico<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Five months since Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria back in September, over half a million people remain without power, and the remainder face unreliable electricity. Solar energy provides opportunities for relief, recovery, and resilience. The Solar Gardens Institute is working in each of these areas with short, medium, and long-term efforts.</span><br />
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></a>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico" target="_blank">Please donate to help us provide immediate relief, medium-term recovery, and long-term resilience in the face of future climate disasters.</a></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEXh3CAvsIjkh6Eusr5MzLfkTyZ3xbbIm-HJaTNcay3cYxzYpHtZAQIkNTLJwb5w685NFoe3cfT8AmTYuFVv_lj_LNbw5-AqwVZnOGcxGI8QE8-IJb5dhrjKmLSOjzSRya6hPmkGhnJA/s1600/Power+Down.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEXh3CAvsIjkh6Eusr5MzLfkTyZ3xbbIm-HJaTNcay3cYxzYpHtZAQIkNTLJwb5w685NFoe3cfT8AmTYuFVv_lj_LNbw5-AqwVZnOGcxGI8QE8-IJb5dhrjKmLSOjzSRya6hPmkGhnJA/s400/Power+Down.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In remote mountain communities, nearly every power pole was damaged.</span></i></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Relief</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SGI is delivering solar-powered relief to the remote community of Ciales, which was impacted by the eyewall of the hurricane and experienced high winds, flooding, and loss of power. The most acute needs are people dependent on medical devices. We work with local partners such as the Catholic parish, who can identify the individuals most at risk who can benefit from battery powered devices powered by solar energy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children with asthma are at risk of hospitalization (or worse) without their medications, which are typically delivered through a nebulizer. Without power, plug-in devices can't be used, so we have provided battery powered nebulizers along with battery chargers and small solar panels. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig549yitpNhZhyphenhyphenddfBn88dk0Et6Al_0X3wYaWaUkr_1wD0C53QJAmgwbBkoDEoOuvNIsFR_V7FABr25zFv3FnpMJu7PcL0DD-RPQpKdGHYDRBzhbrdT7qdu1z9422dY4DjjcyeaR27Oyw/s1600/Nebulizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="579" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig549yitpNhZhyphenhyphenddfBn88dk0Et6Al_0X3wYaWaUkr_1wD0C53QJAmgwbBkoDEoOuvNIsFR_V7FABr25zFv3FnpMJu7PcL0DD-RPQpKdGHYDRBzhbrdT7qdu1z9422dY4DjjcyeaR27Oyw/s320/Nebulizer.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This three-year-old boy has asthma<br /> along with other health problems.<br /> Now, solar energy charges the batteries<br /> for his nebulizer, providing life-saving medicine.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The elderly are particularly vulnerable to the loss of power, at risk of falls in the darkness as well as depression. SGI provides lanterns that can be charged by solar energy, USB, wall outlet, car cigarette lighter, or hand crank. Solar powered fans can provide cooling for bedridden patients, who are susceptible to bedsores in the heat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Workers for the parish located 78 year old Don Diego living in a remote area of the mountains. His home had been severely damaged, and he had been unable to access FEMA aid because he had no government ID. Aid workers were able to get him an ID and at least clean up some of the debris around his house, while SGI provided a solar lantern for light at night.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjkgGhs1VmQANEqCig1e0_5EQ6A0gmv4sM_8U0JMFnTkGQ4Zj_1OzBKC4LdjuqWYHmGA8n7q22hgMqlmO4ryPWnvKJ9A1-wF_UvKaVH767-xRxsHTRDila4IFm_vn8gg5hZz2KJe08j4/s1600/Old+man+lantern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjkgGhs1VmQANEqCig1e0_5EQ6A0gmv4sM_8U0JMFnTkGQ4Zj_1OzBKC4LdjuqWYHmGA8n7q22hgMqlmO4ryPWnvKJ9A1-wF_UvKaVH767-xRxsHTRDila4IFm_vn8gg5hZz2KJe08j4/s320/Old+man+lantern.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>78 year old Don Diego with his solar lantern</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recovery</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the medium term, households, businesses, aid distribution warehouses and community centers are working to install off-grid solar energy with battery storage. These systems can provide charging, communications, and refrigeration for medication. Even a single small installation can benefit dozens of residents without power.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, even if the money is available and the panels are paid for, bottlenecks in the port and skilled labor shortages can cause waits of a month or more for systems to be installed. In the meantime, residents must use generators, which have a high fuel cost and can break down. However, the promise of reliable power is worth the wait!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8d_M8LwL5RVviHGsr-FGF4ADt0chYtmFA5yw5oc1EZtOmmVzVzosw0Il67bES4OvS8kEiH69wJZODs1WeJ14XcAm6JbmPC1ZbcuZ_eA-xTPSWM8wzB-O4YOA2HtJJo_451wdI2TtzBM/s1600/Solar+Installation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="951" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8d_M8LwL5RVviHGsr-FGF4ADt0chYtmFA5yw5oc1EZtOmmVzVzosw0Il67bES4OvS8kEiH69wJZODs1WeJ14XcAm6JbmPC1ZbcuZ_eA-xTPSWM8wzB-O4YOA2HtJJo_451wdI2TtzBM/s320/Solar+Installation.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Off-grid solar installation in a <br />remote mountain community</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Resilience</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Puerto Rico Energy Commission has released <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/puerto-rico-energy-commission-island-microgrid#gs.Y3YGxjI" target="_blank">preliminary rules</a> for microgrids. A solar powered microgrid including its own batteries could connect to the larger grid, but disconnect and remain operational during power outages. The rules allow the microgrids to be owned by cooperatives - local community ownership!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SGI has hired two interns at the University of Puerto Rico to help plan a Solar Gardener Training. Our goal is to train 50 solar gardeners who will each begin the work to with local governments and organizations to develop shared microgrids in their communities. Puerto Rico can become a model for the rest of the world with an electricity system that is renewable, resilient, and community owned.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Donate to our GoFundMe campaign to support an intern or solar gardener in Puerto Rico</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br />
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></a>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-1340978232024300912018-01-11T07:02:00.003-08:002018-01-11T07:02:28.580-08:00Proposed Rules for Puerto Rico Microgrids | Greentech Media <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Puerto Rico will be home to the first solar gardens </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">implemented as </span></span>microgrids!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> -------------------------------</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to the commission's regulation, “a microgrid shall consist,
at a minimum, of generation assets, loads and distribution
infrastructure. Microgrids shall include sufficient generation, storage
assets and advanced distribution technologies to serve load under normal
operating and usage conditions.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
All microgrids must be renewable (with at least 75 percent of power
from clean energy), combined heat and power (CHP) or hybrid
CHP-and-renewable systems. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
The regulation applies to microgrids controlled and owned by
individuals, customer cooperatives, nonprofit and for-profit companies,
and cities, but not those owned by the Puerto Rico Electric Power
Authority (PREPA). Owners must submit a registration application for
approval, including a certification of inspection from a licensed
electric engineer, and an annual fuel, generation and sales report that
details generation and fuel source, as well as any change in the number
of customers served.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read more: <a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/puerto-rico-energy-commission-island-microgrid">https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/puerto-rico-energy-commission-island-microgrid</a></span></span></div>
Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-42454086119704640652018-01-07T02:40:00.002-08:002018-01-07T02:41:44.388-08:00Tallahassee Energizes Inaugural Community Solar Project | Solar Industry<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Florida state capital might’ve made national headlines after seeing its <a href="http://time.com/5086687/florida-snow-reaction-winter-storm-grayson/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">first snowfall</a>
in decades on Wednesday, but the City of Tallahassee also recently
marked a major renewable energy milestone: the completion of its first
community solar farm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According to a city <a href="http://www.talgov.com/main/news/4024.aspx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">press release</a>,
crews finished construction on the 20 MW, 120-acre solar farm last
month. Located on property of the Tallahassee International Airport
(TLH), the project was a partnership with Origis Energy USA and included
the installation of more than 200,000 thin-film solar panels. Earlier
this week, solar energy generated by the farm became fully integrated
into the city’s electric grid.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read more: </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://solarindustrymag.com/tallahassee-energizes-inaugural-community-solar-project"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://solarindustrymag.com/tallahassee-energizes-inaugural-community-solar-project</span></span></a>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-65519650555288258372017-12-31T06:23:00.000-08:002017-12-31T07:15:58.695-08:00Tell your stories - what do you need? Cuéntales tus historias, ¿qué necesitas?<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tell your stories - what do you need?</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cuéntales tus historias, ¿qué necesitas?</span></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are you experiencing no light or intermittent power? How can solar energy help you? </span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">¿No tienes luz o energía intermitente? ¿Cómo puede ayudarte la energía solar?</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please share your stories, photos, and video as comments here or by messaging this page - <b><a href="mailto:info@solargardens.org">info@solargardens.org</a></b> . We will use them to help raise funds for emergency solar relief and community solar in Puerto Rico.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Por favor comparte tus historias, fotos y videos como comentarios aquí o enviando mensajes a esta página. Los usaremos para ayudar a recaudar fondos para el socorro solar de emergencia y la energía solar comunitaria en Puerto Rico.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(We must have the written permission of the photographer and people in the images - or their legal guardian - in order to share them on the web and in video - if the pictures are taken in a public place or at a public event, then just the photographer's permission is needed. Material will be published with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/</a> )</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(Debemos contar con el permiso por escrito del fotógrafo y la gente de las imágenes, o su tutor legal, para compartirlos en la web y en video) si las imágenes se toman en un lugar público o en un evento público, entonces solo se necesita el permiso del fotógrafo. El material se publicará con una licencia de Atribución-Compartir Igual de Creative Commons <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/</a>)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you have solar electric or solar hot water? Do your solar panels work now? Have you installed solar power since the storms? Share stories, pictures, and video!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">¿Tiene energía solar o agua caliente solar? ¿Sus paneles solares funcionan ahora? ¿Has instalado energía solar desde las tormentas? ¡Comparte historias, fotos y videos!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Has your community received solar aid such as solar lights, solar fans, battery chargers or other equipment, small or large? Do you have a need for solar aid? Where can solar aid be put to use where it does the most good? Share stories, pictures, and video!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="">¿Ha recibido su
comunidad ayuda solar, como luces solares, ventiladores solares,
cargadores de baterías u otros equipos, pequeños o grandes?</span> <span>¿Necesitas ayuda solar?</span> <span class="">¿Dónde se puede usar la ayuda solar donde mejor funciona?</span> <span class="">¡Comparte historias, fotos y videos!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you have a community center, church, school or local business that needs emergency solar power? Refrigeration, water purification, lights, charging station, WiFi? Go to http://energyrelief.org to learn more about this program. Share stories, pictures, and video!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are mapping the need for solar aid in Puerto Rico. Where is your community located? Do you know of other communities with no communication? We will put you on the map. How did Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria affect your barrio? How has no light affected people emotionally? Share stories, pictures, and video!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">¿Tiene un centro comunitario, iglesia, escuela o negocio local que necesita energía solar de emergencia? Refrigeración, purificación de agua, luces, estación de carga, WiFi? Visite http://energyrelief.org para obtener más información sobre este programa. ¡Comparte historias, fotos y videos!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are looking for sites to install community owned solar arrays called "solar gardens" - see <a href="http://solargardens.org/">http://solargardens.org</a> to learn more about our work. We can cover parking lots, warehouses, storage units, landfills or industrial sites, land at airports or water treatment facilities, degraded farmland, and many more places - send photos of your sites. Help us find sites for other kinds of renewable energy like small wind turbines and small hydroelectric generators. We can train you to be a community solar advocate - a "solar gardener" - send a message to this page to begin. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Estamos buscando sitios para instalar paneles solares de propiedad de la comunidad llamados "jardines solares"; consulte <a href="http://solargardens.org/">http://solargardens.org</a> para obtener más información sobre nuestro trabajo. Podemos cubrir estacionamientos, almacenes, unidades de almacenamiento, vertederos o sitios industriales, terrenos en aeropuertos o instalaciones de tratamiento de agua, tierras de cultivo degradadas y muchos más lugares: envíe fotos de sus sitios. Ayúdenos a encontrar sitios para otros tipos de energía renovable como pequeñas turbinas de viento y pequeños generadores hidroeléctricos. Podemos capacitarlo para que sea un defensor solar de la comunidad, un "jardinero solar", envíe un mensaje a esta página para comenzar.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Can you help translate? Please help us correct any mistakes in the translations here. We need volunteers to help translate our website and training materials.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">¿Puedes ayudar a traducir? Por favor, ayúdenos a corregir cualquier error en las traducciones aquí. Necesitamos voluntarios para ayudar a traducir nuestro sitio web y materiales de capacitación.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you have friends on the mainland who can help us raise funds for solar aid or host a fundraising event? They can donate to our GoFundMe at <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico">https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico</a> or make a tax deductible contribution at <a href="http://energyrelief.org/">http://energyrelief.org</a>. Be sure they include "solar gardens", your name, and the name of your community in the comments so the aid comes directly to you.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">¿Tiene amigos en el continente que nos pueden ayudar a recaudar fondos para ayuda solar u organizar un evento de recaudación de fondos? Pueden donar a GoFundMe en <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico">https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico</a> o realizar una contribución deducible de impuestos en <a href="http://energyrelief.org/">http://energyrelief.org</a>. Asegúrese de que incluyan "jardines solares", su nombre y el nombre de su comunidad en los comentarios para que la ayuda llegue directamente a usted.</span></span>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-71750021552253331342017-12-24T07:45:00.000-08:002017-12-24T08:01:14.071-08:00Survival in Puerto Rico<div class="_5pbx userContent _22jv _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_p">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Yesterday I was in Barrio Pozas up in Ciales municipality of Puerto Rico in the Cordillera Central</b>. I
stayed with a family who had waited over a month to have solar installed
- there is a shortage of installers. The day I got there their
generator had broken down.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> I am still crying from the stories they told me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> There is a three-year-old child who hides whenever it rains thinking the storm is coming back...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
There is a 37-year-old autistic man who is afraid of the dark and would
scream all night. They got him a solar light and now he is careful to
charge it every day. This is his job.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>There are old people who
cannot leave their homes.</b> They are risk of falling in the dark.
Depression is setting in and they are saying it is better off if they
just die and not be a burden.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> There is one man who died after
drinking the untreated water. People were getting Leptospirosis and
thinking it was just the stomach flu. The hospitals could not handle it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The daughter is a nurse. There were no doctors to be found. To get in
and out of her area to her patients and to places she could communicate
she had to hang off the edge of the guard rail as the road was blocked
by landslides.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> The husband is a Vietnam veteran. He was triggered
in PTSD and felt he was back in the war. All the veterans are gathering
in their support group to deal with the intense emotions.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OUS5WGZ_zFIngc58vHHxSsl5zqW1D63ohyphenhyphenstVD5KkwyPTtpDa7_a0FLrQZ4uRLczxoZoibtZj7xwcXfp6pEtZME4I5vXFEGw0_f8QwgQhNoRcwXGc8aknTWfkSN1_cQ6bQhuFUeE3oo/s1600/Sheep+Survivors+Crop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1600" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0OUS5WGZ_zFIngc58vHHxSsl5zqW1D63ohyphenhyphenstVD5KkwyPTtpDa7_a0FLrQZ4uRLczxoZoibtZj7xwcXfp6pEtZME4I5vXFEGw0_f8QwgQhNoRcwXGc8aknTWfkSN1_cQ6bQhuFUeE3oo/s320/Sheep+Survivors+Crop.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Sheep survivors - three didn't make it</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">During
the storm their sheep panicked. Three of them died trampled by the
others. By the time the family could actually get out of the house, the
corpses were already bloated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> There are young people – middle
schoolers - dealing with suicidal thoughts. The social workers are
trying to identify them and get them help.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Marriages are breaking
up due to the stress. There is no way to retreat into electronics or
television. Special needs kids have lost their routines. There was an
attempted murder - suicide.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> We saw a five story building that is
an old folks home all full of elders. They have no power and all of them
have electric stoves – they cannot cook.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> One elder died because
his oxygen stopped working when the power went out the day before
Hurricane Maria. Because of the storm they could not take him out, and
they had to put his body into a cooler and carry it across landslides.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <b>After the eye came the strongest winds.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSavTu_vZ7FyLCtsldjomO0pBt8GniK3sNpWfevAoMJ1x8wHwdE_T2i0wNCaRhG_j1a9bkZ8hyphenhyphenFmTqjXuBnzOwQY5P1s5Z6p-Gnn599K2m-lwpUtUki4HFtL0pTAoRAoC4JZF_0XrCpr8/s1600/What+is+Left.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSavTu_vZ7FyLCtsldjomO0pBt8GniK3sNpWfevAoMJ1x8wHwdE_T2i0wNCaRhG_j1a9bkZ8hyphenhyphenFmTqjXuBnzOwQY5P1s5Z6p-Gnn599K2m-lwpUtUki4HFtL0pTAoRAoC4JZF_0XrCpr8/s320/What+is+Left.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Most homes in the Cordillera Central were damaged</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They watched houses literally explode and the pieces fly hundreds of
yards away. People lost their entire second floor and are living on the
first floor with tarps over that what used to be the ceiling. The water
is still coming through every time it rains. Other elderly people lost
their houses entirely and are now living doubled up with friends or
relatives.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> We saw a public housing complex that had been flooded
by the river. People living there have been told to leave ... They are
supposed to get section 8 vouchers but they have no place to go and will
stay until someone drags them out or gives them a better place to live.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
We saw a place where the bridge washed out. They had to cross the river
partway so people on the other side could get the supplies and pull
them up the cliff. They tried to send a doctor across but he could not
make it, the terrain was so rough.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> The banks have been forgiving
loan payments until the end of the year. When January comes, this will
end and people with no jobs will face losing their cars and homes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I stayed there they fed me a delicious meal of chicken and spinach
salad. Later I found out this is one of the first times they have been
able to get good meat and have a real meal. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTvxKdJ_v_bvJocc5V1Pcz-XYleamK2Ti9-Bh11H_7eveWTqC2gccdggMNwjx8cJT22CyB8maz0FaaSJ_4yF5dlk9YZ2V3hNMMIZ8aoiMwV04BV8EMlvKwhIYoENPx2Wc0NUcRgTYXf4/s1600/FEMA+Rations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTvxKdJ_v_bvJocc5V1Pcz-XYleamK2Ti9-Bh11H_7eveWTqC2gccdggMNwjx8cJT22CyB8maz0FaaSJ_4yF5dlk9YZ2V3hNMMIZ8aoiMwV04BV8EMlvKwhIYoENPx2Wc0NUcRgTYXf4/s320/FEMA+Rations.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>FEMA "meal"</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For breakfast I had the
infamous FEMA rations with the Vienna sausages and cheese and crackers. I
was grateful and happy to have this.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> <b>Pozas is also one of the
most beautiful places I've ever seen ...</b> It's cooler up in the
mountains! And the people some of the kindest. The way they pull
together and support each other is amazing. All our communities have
something to learn from them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Every day the team from the parish
are out checking on elders, bringing supplies to people. These days they
need medical devices so I'll people can stay at home, construction
materials, solar lights and solar generators.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8b9tzbFquXsrNhimI1XiA6M9GQa5lx2pYFRV5SARh03wy0jRCUMcDOkY0O2LweYB322Dy8xoB-jZ5PrPAyxYVFCZnpJAIx9KQJktPyOnwfhYQhZb1oSY8Wu6Qi_e5SIZOkM8XULDjx8/s1600/The+Jungle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif8b9tzbFquXsrNhimI1XiA6M9GQa5lx2pYFRV5SARh03wy0jRCUMcDOkY0O2LweYB322Dy8xoB-jZ5PrPAyxYVFCZnpJAIx9KQJktPyOnwfhYQhZb1oSY8Wu6Qi_e5SIZOkM8XULDjx8/s320/The+Jungle.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Natural beauty of Ciales</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The first people
from outside who came to help were the Long Island National Guard - four
weeks after the storm. They landed a helicopter, found out what was
needed, and brought in a doctor. Now the National guard is there with
humvees clearing debris, along with teams from the town. Bridges have
been replaced with temporary fords. A store is open in the neighborhood
so people can buy milk and other basics - and so are the bars. The
Catholic chapel is still doing 5 am mass with a generator, but will move
Christmas Eve services earlier so people can get home before dark.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8abR4pv9ebs_wEcc4WAbvWBgrymynDgdu08NFZAthmLuDHDBp6JzG_ncpDwdL-HhJOCGWUs6WmcPsgqULzb7tc46wpib0uBTcr5JwpF6MJ0J-u2ZtyOcPaQKyq4y2HVtRa549rdNdJ6Y/s1600/Solar+Kit.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8abR4pv9ebs_wEcc4WAbvWBgrymynDgdu08NFZAthmLuDHDBp6JzG_ncpDwdL-HhJOCGWUs6WmcPsgqULzb7tc46wpib0uBTcr5JwpF6MJ0J-u2ZtyOcPaQKyq4y2HVtRa549rdNdJ6Y/s320/Solar+Kit.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Solar Power Kit from <a href="http://energyrelief.org/" target="_blank">Clean Energy Relief</a></span></span></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">
We are hoping to bring in an emergency solar kit with a fridge, WiFi,
charging station, and lights that they can use at the chapel. The
delivery of the kits continues to be delayed due to bottlenecks at the
port.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> The local installer of solar water heaters did a great job -
if the roof is there, the units are still on it. Most rooftop solar PV
systems survived the storm. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> With so many jobs lost and so many
businesses closed, people of working age have moved away - they are
saying that over 200,000 people have left Puerto Rico, mostly for
Florida and New York. Some are returning, some are not.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> A local
coffee farm has still been supplying roasted coffee - but a few days ago
their generator broke and they had to close. A farm-sized solar kit
would do wonders here</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> A medical team (see the article in Bloomberg) will be coming to Pozas on January 13. They
will be providing counseling and other medical services. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">------------------------------------------------</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ways to help:</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Donate supplies to <a href="http://puertoricorises.com/index.html" target="_blank">Puerto Rico Rises</a> - over three million pounds of supplies being distributed across the island:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Make a tax deductible contribution to <a href="http://energyrelief.org/" target="_blank">Clean Energy Relief</a> to provide solar power kits for community centers, including refrigeration for medicine and formula, WiFi, charging station, and lights. Be sure to include "Solar Gardens" in the notes when you make your PayPal donation:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Support <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/community-solar-for-puerto-rico">SGI's campaign for community driven shared renewables</a> - policy, people, and projects:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-38664654591352220742017-10-12T11:48:00.001-07:002017-10-12T17:36:00.595-07:00Puerto Rico: Distributed Generation, Community Solar, and Microgrid Legislation and Rules<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Puerto Rico has a solar gardens law already on the books! The 2016 statute provides for distributed energy, community shared solar, and microgrids. Further action will be needed to fully develop and implement policy in a situation of heightened urgency.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The potential for solar energy and microgrids has been in the news, both for relief and long term recovery. Both Tesla and Sonnen are reportedly <a href="https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/10/puerto-rico-in-talks-with-tesla-for-batteries-sonnen-to-help-build-microgrids/">sending batteries</a> to the island. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On August 5, 2016 Puerto Rico approved SB 1666 to become Act 133-2016 (<a href="http://www.oslpr.org/download/en/2016/A-133-2016.pdf">English text</a>). The law eases interconnection procedures for renewable energy projects up to 5 Megawatts and encourages community solar and microgrids. The bill's statement of motives references the Commonwealth's 50% reliance on oil for electricity generation, high electricity prices (around 20¢ / kWh), and vulnerability to oil price shocks. <br /><br />The Act directs the Commonwealth Energy Public Policy Office (CEPPO) to identify the best practices for community solar, and mentions the <a href="http://www.irecusa.org/publications/model-rules-for-shared-renewable-energy-programs/">IREC Model Rules</a> and NREL's efforts. It encourages microgrids and suggests that a community solar project with sufficient storage might become a microgrid. CEPPO is directed to develop plans around community solar and mircrogrids, while the Energy Commission is charged with updating interconnection rules for Puerto Rico's utility PREPA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>“Section 3.4. - Duties and Powers of CEPPO.<br />...<br />(ii) To formulate strategies and make recommendations to the Energy Commission to improve the electric power service in low-income communities through the study, promotion, and development of Community Solar Projects, using as guidelines the recommendations made by organizations such as IREC and NREL, adapted to Puerto Rico, and seeking the input of PREPA and the representatives of community organizations as well as relevant professional, and academic organizations.<br /><br />(jj) CEPPO, in conjunction with the Commission and PREPA, shall study the best practices of the electric power industry and shall establish a plan for the development of microgrids in Puerto Rico. To minimize costs and broaden access to greater physical and human resources, CEPPO may partner with local or federal agencies, or recognized universities or institutes of electric power research, inside and outside of Puerto Rico, to carry out this task. Initially, this option shall be made available to low-income communities, universities, healthcare centers, and public institutions.<br /><br />(kk) CEPPO, in conjunction with the Commission, shall determine the format and specific information to be shared by each microgrid.”</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Regulations and online applications for DG interconnection can be found at the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class=""><a href="https://www2.aeepr.com/medicionneta/">Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica (AEE) website</a>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="">The status of the CEPPO studies on community solar and microgrids are uncertain. Many servers on Puerto Rico are still down. If you have any information please contact me - <a href="mailto:joy@solargardens.org">joy@solargardens.org</a> and I will post the info here.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="es"><span class="">I am willing to help however I can to help put an emergency policy in place, train solar gardeners in Puerto Rico and other affected territories, and work with communities to help initiate projects.</span></span></span><br />
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Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-14346338457009357892017-07-05T16:00:00.003-07:002017-07-05T16:00:56.637-07:00Canada's First Solar Garden in Nelson, BC<div style="margin: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">On June 24, 2017, a Grand Opening was held for the Nelson Community Solar Garden.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span lang="en-US"></span>The
Community Solar Garden (CSG) is a one-of-a-kind solar array that is
comprised of individual solar panels that have been grouped together and
maintained in a single location, compared to other systems that install
panels on individual roof tops. This central
location provides unprecedented access to those who may rent, have
shading issues or unsuitable roofs. In addition, owners of the panels do
not have to worry about the maintenance or how their panel is
performing as it is part of a collective and not individually
owned.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQPvcgP8tLhnk_AGzjAh1VEWoLsfkSJ8YzzH9aMi6nz8v1mqMqEzcFitjblcplB5ekXzM1n1vetC1GkOo48A_SSsjRvGeljEBB5oumQ91UFrIQoV2hYgfDi0qU0eIMK7MYajBeBzdyRk/s1600/Nelson+Solar+Garden.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="817" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQPvcgP8tLhnk_AGzjAh1VEWoLsfkSJ8YzzH9aMi6nz8v1mqMqEzcFitjblcplB5ekXzM1n1vetC1GkOo48A_SSsjRvGeljEBB5oumQ91UFrIQoV2hYgfDi0qU0eIMK7MYajBeBzdyRk/s320/Nelson+Solar+Garden.png" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nelson Community Solar Garden Opens</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Nelson
Hydro invited its customers to invest in the Community Solar Garden and
has had an overwhelming response. In one month, the project was sold
out and had to
be expanded by 20%. All of the 240 available solar panels were sold. The
CSG is a win-win for Nelson Hydro customers as it provides simplified
access to solar power while providing a credit in proportion to their
investment, which can be found on their Nelson
Hydro electricity bill. The credit can be transferred from one account
to another, so that the investment stays with the residents even when
they move to a new local address serviced by Nelson Hydro. While there
are other shared solar projects in Canada, Nelson
is the first to offer this type of model. We see this as an opportunity
that can be replicated across the country, giving more Canadians access
to renewable energy.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This
CSG was funded by Nelson Hydro, Bullfrog Power, CELP (Province of BC)
and the Nelson Hydro customers that directly invested in the project.</span></span></div>
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Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-39237812567181493042016-08-25T05:16:00.001-07:002016-08-25T05:16:16.739-07:00OPALCO Awarded Grant for $1 Million for Grid Modernization - Orcas Issues: News & ViewsThe grant will help fund integration of a .5 MW (or 2 mWh) vanadium flow battery into OPALCO's grid, to condition and time-shift community solar array output, improve load shape, absorb sudden spikes in energy demand, and backup critical substation and fiber optic systems. This will help the co-op save money and improve grid reliability.
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<br><a href="http://orcasissues.com/opalco-awarded-grant-1-million-grid-modernization/">http://orcasissues.com/opalco-awarded-grant-1-million-grid-modernization/</a>
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<br>Sent from my iPhoneJoy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-27840549605119117462016-08-16T03:05:00.000-07:002016-08-16T03:05:46.320-07:00Ten reasons to love community solar | Renewable Energy WorldIt's great when the press really "gets" the benefits of community solar! Renewable Energy World here publishes a list of ten great reasons to love solar gardens, including economic, social inclusion, and the potential for re-engineering the grid. <a href="http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2016/08/10-reasons-why-we-love-community-solar.html">Read the article here: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2016/08/10-reasons-why-we-love-community-solar.html</a><div>
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-Joy<br /><div>
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Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-18152245786333242762016-08-16T02:52:00.000-07:002016-08-16T02:52:09.400-07:00COSEIA / XCEL settlement to allow 4MW per year of low income Colorado solar gardens<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">
<strong>COSEIA Helps Forge Landmark Settlement with Xcel Energy:</strong></div>
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<strong>Pact will Light the Way for Colorado Solar Energy Progress </strong></div>
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The Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) lauded the massive settlement filed today by Xcel Energy and nearly two dozen organizations to resolve a host of issues facing the Colorado solar industry while setting the stage for progressive future energy policy.</div>
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"The solar industry will create more jobs and produce more affordable clean energy because we have settled these issues,'' said COSEIA Executive Director Rebecca Cantwell. "Through these summer-long negotiations, we achieved major progress in giving Coloradans more control over their electricity use. Instead of the damaging fixed charges initially proposed for everyone's bills, we endorsed a move toward progressive electricity rates. These rates will reward residents and businesses who choose to go solar by putting a proper value on electricity produced when it is most valuable.''</div>
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Since June, COSEIA has played a key role in negotiations with Xcel and 26 intervenors ranging from large industrial energy users to environmental advocates. The parties embarked on the very complex task of simultaneously working to resolve scores of issues in three separate dockets filed by Xcel at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in order to avoid months of costly litigation. </div>
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The settlement covers a rate case determining which customers would pay how much for electricity, a renewable energy plan that details how Xcel will meet requirements of Colorado's renewable energy laws, and a proposal by Xcel to build a 50 MW solar facility and sell shares to the public. The settlement filed today still must be approved by the PUC, and parties will have a chance to explain their positions orally and at a hearing.</div>
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<strong>Among the key provisions COSEIA helped negotiate include:</strong></div>
<ul>
<li>A strategic shift from flat rates for residential customers to a trial launch of more sophisticated Time of Use (TOU) rates that allow customers more influence over their electric bill. These rates, now popular in other progressive markets, assign higher costs to energy during times when demand raises the cost of electricity. Since solar generates electricity during most of these hours, TOU rates more fairly account for the value of solar to all ratepayers. The new rates, which require meter upgrades, are expected to be rolled out in the next several years starting with volunteers. Opportunities to reevaluate the plan will be provided.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>First time solar programs to allow low-income Coloradans to reduce their electricity bills - and lower long-term costs - through solar energy that uses no fossil fuel. The settlement includes 4 MW a year of dedicated solar gardens for low-income Coloradans, and a separate rooftop program to install solar systems on up to 300 low-income residences.</li>
</ul>
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<li>Doubled capacity for solar systems geared toward businesses and industry. COSEIA believes Colorado's commercial market has large unmet solar demand and the settlement provides a start toward improving market conditions for this sector.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Agreement that the fundamental solar policy of net metering - being fairly credited for energy produced- will be available to customers regardless of whether they participate in Xcel's solar programs. We believe this will create a robust new open market for residential solar.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A variety of provisions providing adequate capacity for rooftop solar, community solar gardens, and large scale solar, while imposing responsible conditions on Xcel's planned 50 MW solar farm.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Several stakeholder groups that will meet regularly and include key players in Colorado's energy market. These groups will work collaboratively to resolve ongoing issues with the utility and to develop clear metrics for measuring Xcel's performance in supporting renewable energy programs.</li>
</ul>
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"We must work with Xcel and other stakeholders to support the competitive solar industry. This settlement signals cooperation rather than confrontation which COSEIA believes is the most productive way to advance solar, allow citizens and companies to own clean energy rather than rent dirty fossil fuel, and impact catastrophic climate change. With this settlement, solar will continue as a bright star in our state's economy,'' said John Bringenberg, COSEIA board president.</div>
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COSEIA, founded in 1989, leads Colorado's solar industry will nearly 200 solar company and advocate members.</div>
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Links to the Documents filed today can by <a alt="https://www.dora.state.co.us/pls/efi/EFI.Mark_Show_Filing?p_key=A_14645&p_fil=G_678020" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001sehW5TZLoKImyFXp1XTOwoWtNnXxbBmV8MYaXAy2WILHMvhiF_0yxmn2gfmwnWa3KUmjLCNtYKyKhvIaKSrAjLBbVW-qU0viGkBsfLHPHN-bLaAb15Tb1RBnbDPa1Xum73SKlCEzGwtrOZG5M8GcfsZ4G4KRJ4EfmXGiqXPBWf2_MwgsD1YgAQ8M129_OlririB99EBz8L_EIDkvO0DPRl7EL_QSFGjHZJ0bE4i3svFjFsy_XkjFj0kGnSJL-9u_Rs6bJk-GTNqWCraEBFEVfA==&c=BuJEMZTWI8l8vc8BCn_rtzI9SN_LUIRBe-wcHgfDTW-RXkw9b2lSow==&ch=u18ywYGdxrFSRzYl_0bRwh5y2kaWvEGNOf8GwSUoHfYNCSgYFXrFbQ==" linktype="1" shape="rect" style="color: blue;" target="_blank" track="on">found here</a></div>
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<strong>For more information: </strong></div>
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<strong>Contact Rebecca Cantwell 720-209-6000 or <a href="mailto:rcantwell@coseia.org" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">rcantwell@coseia.org</a> </strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">or <strong>John Bringenberg <a href="" shape="rect" target="_blank">720-289-3289</a> or <a href="" shape="rect" target="_blank">john@bringenberg.com</a> | </strong></span></h2>
Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-25178466440790978012016-07-20T05:18:00.002-07:002016-07-20T05:18:18.085-07:00Colorado PUC Reverses Decision, Approves Community Solar Gardens | CleanTechnica<span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">For the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, June was a month of changes for the future of renewable electricity and </span><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/17/berkshire-hathaway-dives-into-solar-gardens-again/" style="-webkit-transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; background-color: white; color: #85d2eb; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px; transition: 0.8s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">solar gardens</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> in this state.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><img alt="Colorado sun shutterstock_215450692 (1)" class="alignright wp-image-45501" scale="0" src="http://14o98e2qnerm1mh77c2ehsz882z.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Colorado-sun-shutterstock_215450692-1-600x400.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #636363; float: right; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; margin: 7px 0px 15px 18px; width: 291px;" width="270" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Here is why: At June’s end, </span><a href="http://www.pv-tech.org/news/44234" style="-webkit-transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; background-color: white; color: #85d2eb; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px; transition: 0.8s ease-in-out;" target="_blank"><em>PV-Tech</em></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> reported the </span><a href="https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/puc" style="-webkit-transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; background-color: white; color: #85d2eb; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 20px; transition: 0.8s ease-in-out;" target="_blank">Colorado PUC</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> reversed an earlier decision it had rendered by approving the deployment of community solar gardens.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Xcel now has approval to go ahead with its plan to develop 29.5 MW of power from community solar gardens as part of the RES compliance plan.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #636363; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Read more: </span><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2016/07/08/colorado-puc-reverses-decision-approves-community-solar-gardens/">http://cleantechnica.com/2016/07/08/colorado-puc-reverses-decision-approves-community-solar-gardens/</a>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-65307637809318649792016-07-20T05:12:00.002-07:002016-07-20T05:13:50.158-07:00Lawmakers Propose Investment Tax Credit For Energy Storage | Solar Industry<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, has <a href="http://www.heinrich.senate.gov/press-releases/heinrich-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-create-tax-credit-for-energy-storage" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #00366d; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">introduced</a> legislation that would establish an investment tax credit (ITC) for the deployment of energy storage in both homes and businesses.</div>
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<a class="fancybox image" href="http://solarindustrymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/iStock_62983023_SMALL.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #00366d; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" border="0/" src="http://solarindustrymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/iStock_62983023_SMALL.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="" /></a></div>
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The Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act, <a href="http://www.heinrich.senate.gov/download/energystoragetaxincentiveanddeploymentact2016" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #00366d; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">S.3159</a>, is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev.; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; Al Franken, D-Minn.; Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Angus King, I-Maine; Jack Reed, D-R.I.; and Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii.</div>
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According to Heinrich, the proposed tax incentives are modeled on the <a href="http://solarindustrymag.com/multiyear-investment-tax-credit-extension-added-to-federal-spending-bill" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #00366d; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">current ITCs</a> for solar energy and apply to either large, grid-connected energy storage systems or smaller battery systems for residential power.</div>
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Read more: <a href="http://solarindustrymag.com/lawmakers-propose-investment-tax-credit-for-energy-storage">http://solarindustrymag.com/lawmakers-propose-investment-tax-credit-for-energy-storage</a></div>
Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-75725289755027192582016-07-20T04:26:00.003-07:002016-07-20T04:26:46.377-07:00White House Press Release: National Community Solar Challenge<div class="panel-pane pane-custom pane-1" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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July 19, 2016</div>
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FACT SHEET: Obama Administration Announces Clean Energy Savings for All Americans Initiative</h1>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Please click </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYhzg6XTOjY&feature=youtu.be" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">HERE</em></a><em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> to view a video on Access to Solar Panels featuring President Obama</em></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">National Community Solar Challenge link: </em><a href="http://www.energy.gov/eere/sunshot/request-information-community-solar-challenge" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">request for information</a> </div>
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President Obama is committed to ensuring that every American family can choose to go solar and to cut their energy bills – and that every American community has the tools they need to tackle local air pollution and global climate change.</div>
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Since President Obama took office, solar electricity generation has increased 30 fold and solar jobs are growing 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. Last year, we announced a set of actions to increase access to solar and create a more inclusive workforce, but there is still more work to do. That is why, today, the Obama Administration is announcing a new cross government partnership – the Clean Energy Savings For All Initiative – between the Departments of Energy (DOE), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran’s Affairs (VA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase access to solar energy and promote energy efficiency across the United States and, in particular in low- and moderate- income communities.</div>
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Through the Clean Energy Savings for All Initiative, the Administration will work to ensure that every household has options to choose to go solar and put in place additional measures to promote energy efficiency. To continue along this track, the Administration, in collaboration with state agencies, is announcing a new catalytic goal to bring 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar to low- and moderate- income families by 2020. This goal is a 10 fold increase and an expansion of the initial target President Obama set in his Climate Action Plan to install 100 MW of renewable energy on federally-assisted affordable housing by 2020. The Clean Energy Savings for All Initiative will help achieve the goal by promoting innovative financing mechanisms, bolstering technical assistance for states and communities, driving innovation, scaling up workforce training to make sure low- and moderate-income Americans can take advantage of the jobs that come with a transition to clean energy, convening stakeholders, and working with the private and philanthropic sectors. The key components of the initiative that the Administration is announcing today are:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">HUD and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are releasing new guidance to unlock residential Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing by outlining how properties with PACE assessments can be purchased and refinanced with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance and by welcoming the use of PACE financing for Veterans Affairs (VA)-insured mortgages. In addition, DOE is releasing a draft of their updated <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Best Practices Guidelines for Residential PACE Financing</em> for public comment. PACE is a tool that allows American homeowners, including low- and moderate- income households and veterans, to finance solar and energy efficiency improvements at no upfront cost and to pay back the cost over time through their property tax bill;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DOE is developing a <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Solar Challenge</em> that will award teams in dozens of communities up to $100,000, in cash prizes and technical assistance, to develop innovative models to increase solar deployment and cut communities’ energy bills, in particular in low income communities;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">HHS and DOE are making it easier to use hundreds of millions of dollars for energy efficiency improvements by providing technical assistance to Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grantees on their ability to access 15 – 25 percent of their annual LIHEAP funding for low cost energy efficiency improvements, including renewable energy;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DOE is making sure low- and moderate-income Americans can take advantage of the jobs that come with a transition to clean energy by launching the Solar Training Network, which will help create a more inclusive workforce by connecting solar workforce trainers, solar employers, and individuals interested in working in the solar industry;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">EPA, DOE, and HUD are bringing people together to share best practices on how to finance and overcome barriers to creating healthier communities; and</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More than 120 housing authorities, rural electric co-ops, power companies, and organizations in more than 36 states across the country are committing to investing $287 million and putting in place more than 280 megawatts (MW) of solar energy projects, including projects to help low- and moderate- income communities save on their energy bills and further the deployment of community solar.</li>
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The announcements today will result in lower energy bills, more empowered consumers, and cleaner communities.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">EXECUTIVE ACTIONS TO SCALE UP SOLAR AND REDUCE ENERGY BILLS</strong></div>
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To continue supporting all American communities in deploying renewable energy while creating jobs and reducing carbon pollution, the Administration is announcing the following actions:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Supporting the Scale Up of Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing: </strong>Since 2009, the Obama Administration has been working to provide homeowners the opportunity to finance solar and energy efficiency improvements at no upfront cost through a mechanism called PACE, including through the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Recovery_Through_Retrofit_Final_Report.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Middle Class Taskforce</a> and by releasing a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/PACE_Principles.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Policy Framework for PACE Financing Programs</a>. Today, the Obama Administration is taking a number of new actions to allow American homeowners, including low- and moderate- income households and veterans to use PACE financing. This innovative financing mechanism allows homeowners to benefit from energy improvements immediately and pay back the cost over time through their property taxes. If the property is sold, including through foreclosure, the remaining PACE assessment will stay with the more energy efficient property and the next owner will become responsible for the remaining PACE assessment. The PACE initiatives announced today will unlock alternative sources of capital for low- and moderate- income Americans and veterans to scale up solar, promote energy and water efficiency retrofits, and create more resilient homes, leading to reduced energy bills, more empowered consumers, and cleaner communities.</div>
<ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.84615em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Issuing Guidance on how to Use FHA Mortgage Insurance with PACE Financing:</strong> For more than 80 years, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has provided low- and moderate- income households and underserved communities access to safe and affordable housing through FHA mortgage insurance. Each day, more than 3,000 people close on a home for which the mortgage is insured by FHA. Today, FHA is releasing <a href="http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=16-11ml.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">guidance</a> outlining how properties with PACE assessments can be purchased and refinanced with an FHA-insured mortgage. This action is intended to support renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in single family housing, support retrofits that boost resilience to climate risks, and remove existing barriers to using PACE financing. The key requirements outlined in FHA’s guidance are: the PACE assessment does not take first lien position ahead of the mortgage and the assessment transfers from one property owner to the next, including through a foreclosure sale. The guidance also requires appraisers to analyze and report on the impact of PACE-related improvements to the value of the property.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Unlocking PACE Financing for Veterans:</strong> Today, in support of the Administration's longstanding commitment to create a clean-energy economy and help Americans take advantage of clean energy technologies, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is issuing <a href="http://www.benefits.va.gov/HOMELOANS/documents/circulars/26_16_18.pdf" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">policy guidance</a> on PACE-financed homes. Today's guidance will clarify the circumstances under which Veterans are able to take advantage of PACE programs in conjunction with their VA Home Loan Guaranty benefit, providing a new opportunity for veterans to participate in the clean energy economy and save on their energy bills.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Providing Best Practices for New and Existing Residential PACE Programs throughout the Country: </strong>DOE is releasing a draft of their updated <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Best Practices Guidelines for Residential PACE Financing</em> for public comment from stakeholders, including consumer advocates, public policy leaders, and industry. This public comment period is critical to ensuring the highest levels of consumer and lender protections. Across the nation, fifteen states have already adopted residential PACE-enabling legislation. Overall, nearly 100,000 households have utilized PACE programs to finance over $2 billion in energy saving improvements to their homes. The updated guidelines reflect the evolving structure of the PACE market and incorporate lessons learned from various PACE programs that have been successfully implemented since the original guidelines were issued. They provide best practices for residential PACE programs, including protections to both consumers who voluntarily opt into PACE programs, and to lenders who hold mortgages on properties with PACE assessments. The guidelines can also be used by PACE program administrators, contractors and consumers to plan, develop and implement programs and improvements that effectively deliver home energy and related upgrades. DOE’s updated <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Best Practice Guidelines for Residential PACE Financing</em> rely upon important progress that the Department has made in a critical partnership with industry, including a formal partnership with the Appraisal Foundation to develop guidance on valuation of energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings that was launched in 2011. DOE is also partnering with the Appraisal Institute to integrate energy efficiency into appraisals and real estate transactions and deliver education and training to appraisers through the Better Buildings Home Energy Information Accelerator, where they have enlisted the support of the Real Estate Standards Organization, the Council of MLS, Homes.com, and National Association of Realtors. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Providing Technical Assistance to Make it Easier for States and Communities to Stand Up Smart PACE Programs: </strong>DOE will provide technical assistance to support the design and implementation of effective PACE programs, including conducting a series of webinars and online workshops to facilitate peer exchange and provide access to PACE experts; conducting research on the lessons learned from state and local residential PACE programs , including analysis of the impact of PACE on community adoption rates of energy efficiency improvements and per household energy consumption, and various program design strategies, and effectiveness of PACE relative to other financing mechanisms. DOE is also working with State Energy Offices, local government representatives, residential PACE industry representatives, and subject matter experts to focus on residential PACE program design (including consumer protection options) and the development and dissemination of detailed program best practices.</li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Developing a Community Solar Challenge</strong>: To help meet the Administration’s 1 GW goal, DOE is announcing the development of a<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Solar Challenge</em> that will award teams in dozens of communities up to $100,000 to develop innovative models to increase solar deployment and cut communities’ energy bills, in particular in low-income communities. Today, the DOE SunShot Initiative is releasing a <a href="http://www.energy.gov/eere/sunshot/request-information-community-solar-challenge" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">request for information</a> to gather feedback and information on the structure of challenge. Shared solar systems of 2 megawatts (MW) or less with 40 percent low- and moderate- income subscribers, solar systems that benefit low-income families, and solar for community assets, e.g., hospitals, schools, food banks, and health clinics will be eligible. This challenge will reduce market barriers to solar deployment by spurring the deployment of dozens of projects across the nation, with an emphasis on new and emerging solar markets.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Making it Easier for Low Income Households to Access Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Funding for Renewable Energy Investments:</strong>The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides, on average more than $3 billion a year to communities across the country and includes a provision that allows LIHEAP grantees to access 15 - 25 percent of their annual funding for low cost weatherization and energy efficiency improvements. Today, we are announcing technical assistance to LIHEAP grantees to increase their ability to use this funding to support the deployment of renewable energy.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tracking the Deployment of Solar on Low- and Moderate Income Households</strong>: DOE, in collaboration with HUD and GTM Research, will work with the national labs to track progress on the deployment of solar energy for low- and moderate- income households, in particular to reach the Administration’s 1 GW goal. </div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Providing Technical Assistance to Make it Easier for More Americans to Participate in the Clean Energy Economy: </strong>Today, the Administration is announcing three actions to ensure all communities have the information they need to participate in the clean energy economy.</div>
<ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.84615em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Creating a Resource Hub to Promote Energy Access:</strong> DOE is creating a cross-agency digital hub on the <a href="http://www.solar.energy.gov/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar Powering America</a> website so that communities, businesses, organizations and state and local governments can learn about federal resources to help low- and moderate-income Americans go solar.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Providing Resources to Bring Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to Low-Income Communities:</strong> In the coming months, the EPA will provide additional informational resources to help state and local energy, environmental, housing, and social services agencies, non-profits, and utilities understand successful models they can use to bring energy efficiency and renewable energy to low-income communities. Current resources available on the EPA’s website include <a href="https://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/bringing-benefits-energy-efficiency-and-renewable-energy-low-income-communities" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">five case studies and profiles</a>, recordings from three webinars, and a guide to EPA programs. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Providing Technical Assistance to Remote Communities:</strong> DOE’s Office of Indian Energy (IE) is announcing $7 million in funding to establish an inter-tribal technical assistance energy providers' network. This program will provide Alaska Native communities assistance to develop energy experts that provide technical energy assistance and informational resources to their member Alaska Native villages.</li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bringing People Together to Share Best Practices on how to Finance and Overcome Barriers to Creating Healthier Communities: </strong>Today, the Obama Administration is announcing we will host a series of convenings across the country to expand access to financing for community solar and develop new partnerships to create healthier communities:</div>
<ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.84615em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Convening Banks and Regulators to Expand Access to Financing for Community Solar Projects for Low- and Moderate- Income Households: </strong>DOE is announcing its plans to convene local and regional banks and their regulators for a summit to identify strategies to improve and expand community solar project financing, with an emphasis on serving low- and moderate-income households. The summit will provide the most recent information on the potential market opportunities for community solar, underwriting best practices, and updates on regulatory guidance.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Convening a Series of Clean Energy Savings for All Summits Across the Country:</strong> Working with national and regional partners, the White House, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will convene a series of Clean Energy Savings for All Summits in communities across the United States, beginning with a Summit on August 9, 2016 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. These events will provide local and state officials, advocates, community organizations, and interested members of the public an opportunity to develop new partnerships and learn about ways we can further reduce air pollution, deploy clean energy and energy efficiency, and build an inclusive clean energy economy for all Americans.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hosting a National Funding Resources and Training Summit for Vulnerable Communities:</strong> On October 25-26, 2016, the EPA will host <em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The National Funding Resources and Training Summit for Vulnerable Communities</em> in Washington, DC to enhance collaboration around environmental, health and economic concerns and ensure vulnerable populations have access to information, services, and data for increased resilience, engagement, and sustainability. The summit themes will include: just transition workforce development, financial resources and entrepreneurship development, and health and environmental training and outreach.</li>
</ul>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Building an Inclusive Solar Energy Workforce:</strong> Since the President took office, we have trained more than 50,000 workers to enter the solar industry, bringing us closer reaching our goal of training 75,000 workers to enter the solar industry by 2020. To continue enhancing employment opportunities for all Americans, including low-income and minority communities, and make sure workers can take advantage of the jobs that come with a transition to clean energy:</div>
<ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.84615em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DOE is Launching the Solar Training Network</strong>: The Solar Training Network will support the development of a well-trained and inclusive workforce by connecting trainers, solar employers, and individuals interested in working in the solar industry. The Solar Foundation will administer the program and will create a centralized clearinghouse for solar workforce tools and resources, including the establishment of a Solar Jobs Strategy Commission to foster an exchange of resources and knowledge between training providers and the solar industry. The Solar Foundation will also conduct research and analysis to enhance the understanding of the solar industry’s workforce and training supply, demand, costs, and needs.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DOE is Announcing a Community and Workforce Investment Program in Baltimore, Maryland: </strong>Today, DOE’s Job Strategy Council launched a community and workforce investment program to both create new employment opportunities and train low income residents in West Baltimore for jobs in the solar industry. DOE’s Initiative will explore options to expand access to solar for renters and local individuals in the Baltimore area, investigate the possibility of installing solar panels on public housing units, and in collaboration with the Morgan Community Mile Solar Installation Project, a partnership with Morgan State University, Baltimore's Sustainability Office, GRID Alternatives, Civic Works and the local communities, weatherize and install solar panels on 33 low income homes in the Morgan Community Mile neighborhood of Baltimore. Today, DOE, the City of Baltimore and the Maryland Clean Energy Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding intended to accelerate the growth of and access to solar and renewable energy jobs and to prepare a roadmap for rapid demonstration and deployment.</li>
</ul>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">STATE AND PRIVATE SECTOR COMMITMENTS TO INCREASE SOLAR ENERGYAND CUT ENERGY BILLS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSS AMERICA</strong></div>
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To help us achieve our new goal to bring 1 GW of solar energy to low- and moderate- income families by 2020, today, the Administration is announcing more than 120 new commitments from the private, state, local, and philanthropic sectors in 36 states to support the deployment of solar energy in low-and moderate income communities and promote community solar and energy efficiency. Today’s new commitments represent $287 million in investment, and nearly 280 MW of community solar and low-and moderate income solar deployment. They bring the total amount of commitments secured to more than $800 million in investment and more than 491 MW of solar power. These announcements include:</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Growing The Reach And Impact Of The National Community Solar Partnership by 6 Fold: </strong>Last July, the Administration launched the<a href="http://energy.gov/eere/solarpoweringamerica/national-community-solar-partnership" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">National Community Solar Partnership</a>—a collaborative effort between the DOE, HUD, USDA, EPA, representatives from solar companies, NGOs, and state and community leaders —which works to unlock access to solar for the nearly 50 percent of households and businesses that are renters or do not have adequate roof space to install solar systems, in particular, for low- and moderate- income communities. Since we launched the partnership last year, more than 110 companies, organizations, and universities that represent 25 states have joined the effort to increase access to community solar, growing the number of members by six fold to 135, including the following 67 new partners joining today:</div>
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<ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.84615em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">All Energy Solar – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Altus Power America – Oklahoma</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Banner Solar – Idaho</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bonneville Environmental Foundation – Oregon</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Boston Community Capital – Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Building Science Innovators, LLC – Louisiana</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cadmus – Colorado</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Center for Resource Solutions – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Clean Energy Economy Minnesota – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Coalition for Community Solar Access – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CohnReznick, LLP – Maryland</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Energy, Inc. – Pennsylvania</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Green Energy – Wisconsin</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Housing Works - California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Power Network – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Purchasing Alliance – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Co-op Power – Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cooperative Community Energy – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cooperative Energy Futures – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">County of Erie, NY – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Encore Renewable Energy – Vermont</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Energy Outreach Colorado – Colorado</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Enterprise Community Partners – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Environmental Law and Policy Center – Illinois</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ethical Electric – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Eutectics, LLC – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Extensible Energy, LLC – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Great Plains Institute - Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Green Long Island, Inc. – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">GreenMark Solar – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hannah Solar – Georgia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">kWh Analytics – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Lotus Engineering and Sustainability – Colorado</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Michigan Energy Options – Michigan</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Microgrid Institute – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Minnesota Renewable Energy Society – Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Navigant Consulting – District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nexamp – Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Northern Virginia Regional Commission – Virginia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nuance Energy Group Inc. – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ProjectEconomics – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Renewable Energy Districts – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Renewable Energy Partners – Delaware</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Renewable Energy Services – Hawaii</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Savannah River National Laboratory – South Carolina</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seminole Financial Services – Florida</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar Holler – West Virginia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar Land Solutions LLC – North Carolina</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solarize NoVA – Virginia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sun Valley Institute for Resilience – Idaho</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SunPower Corporation – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sunswarm Community Solar – California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Syncarpha Capital – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">United States Solar Corporation – Connecticut</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Upepo Group – Maryland</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Utah Clean Energy – Utah</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vermont Community Solar, LLC – Vermont</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Vivint Solar – Utah</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">West Monroe Partners – Illinois</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Winn Companies – Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yeloha – Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">YSG Solar – New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Zolargo Energy – California</li>
</ul>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">25 Members of the Administration’s National Community Solar Partnership are announcing new commitments to deploy nearly 145 MW </strong><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">of community solar, including projects to scale up solar for low- and moderate- income households</strong>. These commitments represent over $187 million in investment.</div>
<ul style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.84615em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Arcadia Power</strong> commits to deploying 5 megawatts of community solar by the end of 2016. This commitment builds on the 30 kilowatts in community solar projects the company has built.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BARC Electric Cooperative</strong> announces that a 550 kilowatt community solar project – the first in the Commonwealth of Virginia –will be completed in early summer 2016. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition</strong> and its partners announce at least six new community and shared solar projects over the next two years that will serve more than 100 low- and moderate-income customers in southern New York.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Black Rock Solar</strong> commits to developing 1 MW of solar for low-income communities in Nevada in 2016. This commitment builds on the 6.5 megawatts of solar the company has already built for non-profits, schools, rural areas, Native American tribes, and low-income housing in Nevada.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Capitol Assets Solar Development</strong> commits to deploying 250 kilowatts of low-income solar in Houston, TX by 2020.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Clean Energy Collective</strong> commits to develop 50 megawatts of projects in the next two years in New York, representing a $100 million investment in the state, and reaching up to 15,000 residential customers. This builds on CEC’s 160 megawatts of installed community solar in 12 states with 26 utility partners.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Green Energy</strong> commits to developing 10 megawatts of community solar in the state of New York over the course of the next 18 months, with several projects to serve the New York City region.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Housing Works</strong> has committed to install 2.8 megawatts of solar energy that offsets both common area and tenant loads of electricity in low-income communities. This endeavor impacts a total of 14 properties and approximately 1500 units. This project provides the tenants with a real economic benefit of about $150,000 per year. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Owned Shared Renewables Working Group</strong>announces a goal to facilitate community-owned development of at least four new solar projects in New York State.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Co-op Power</strong> commits to developing 3 MWs of community solar over the next two years in Massachusetts and New York. In Massachusetts, the organization will expand its offerings in urban and rural off-site solar. In New York City, Co-op Power is announcing a new partnership with <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar One</strong> to bring on-site community solar to 400 units of cooperative and low-income housing in 2016. This builds on current successes in developing a 600 kilowatts low-income accessible, community-owned solar system in western Massachusetts.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Extensible Energy</strong> and <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Smart Electric Power Alliance</strong> commit to working with at least eight utilities in the western United States to help them with the design of over 4 MW of community solar in the next year. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Green Long Island</strong> in partnership with <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Empower Solar</strong> announces their commitment to deploy 5 megawatts of community solar in Long Island, New York over the next three years. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">GRID Alternatives </strong>with support from The JPB Foundation, commits to provide no-cost technical assistance to help multifamily affordable housing managers, owners and developers add solar to their buildings, which will support HUD’s Renew 300 initiative under the President's Climate Action plan, which targets the deployment of 300 MW of renewables for low-and-moderate income housing by 2020. Since 2006, GRID Alternatives has had the support of <a href="http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-vista" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">AmeriCorps VISTA</a>. Due to capacity building support of the AmeriCorps VISTA members, GRID Alternatives went from 37 successful installations for low-income families per year in California in 2006 to over 1250 statewide in 2012.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Groundswell</strong> commits to develop five community solar projects in the next 12 months to demonstrate a scalable and replicable model for delivering affordable clean power to low- and moderate- income households. Groundswell will partner with faith based organizations, schools, and other local anchor institutions to complete five megawatts of community solar projects that will serve 1000 low- and moderate- income families in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Developed in collaboration with <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sustainable Capital Advisors</strong>, this expansion of our commitment builds on Groundswell’s successful pre-development efforts towards our first equitable community solar project, which will be constructed in Baltimore.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)</strong> commits to develop an innovative community solar program for all of its capital projects. This aggressive new program will bring solar energy to communities throughout the LA region, and will represent a significant investment in communities and renewable energy over the near and long term. Metro is the first public transportation agency to pursue a community solar program, which builds on its success of deploying approximately 7 megawatts of renewable energy by the end of fiscal year 2017, with a goal of 66 percent renewable energy use by 2020.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Michigan Energy Options</strong> announces a new commitment to deploy 600 kilowatts of community solar in Michigan over the next year. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nexamp </strong>announces 17 new community solar projects, to be completed by the end of 2016. Combined, these 35 megawatts of projects will serve nearly 2,000 Massachusetts households and non-profits, and represent an investment of $87 million in private capital. Nexamp also commits to an additional 15 megawatts of community solar projects for 2017.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">RE-volv </strong>announces the newest cohort of Solar Ambassadors. Over the next year, RE-volv will train 40 college students at 7 universities to spearhead solar crowdfunding campaigns in their communities. This cohort of Solar Ambassadors include students at Coastal Carolina University, Swarthmore College, University of Connecticut, University of Dayton, University of New England, University of Wisconsin, Madison, and University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL)</strong> announces a commitment to deploy 500 kilowatts of low-income solar in the Upper Midwest region of the United States over the next 18 months and 100MW for solar for communities of all incomes by 2020.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solar Land Solutions LLC</strong> announces its commitment to acquire 15 sites for potential community solar projects in the state of New York. This builds on success in helping clients acquire the rights to develop over 40 MW of community solar projects through the US. </li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Solarize NoVA</strong> announces its commitment to launch four new solarize campaigns in northern Virginia over the next year—in Alexandria, Vienna, Falls Church, and Loudon County. The group has already enabled 569 kilowatts of solar for 77 households, representing $2 million in investment.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">University of Maine</strong> announces plans to launch a new, interactive public database of the more than 5,000 community solar projects operating across the country. With support from<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions</strong>, this web-based database will allow anyone to search and learn from existing community solar projects around the country.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Urban Ingenuity </strong>announces the completion of two unique community-focused solar projects financed with PACE. A critical member of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded CivicPACE program, Urban Ingenuity has closed on nearly 200 kW of solar across a church’s sanctuary, and food bank in Northeast Washington, DC as well as 30 kW of solar on a nearby public charter school. With the November 2015 solar closing on a mixed-finance affordable housing redevelopment, these new projects bring Urban Ingenuity to three unique solar plus PACE financings on non-profit properties.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">YSG Solar</strong> announces its commitment to deploy 15 megawatts of community solar in the New York City region over the next 10 months.</li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">19 New Affordable Housing Providers and Low Income Solar Developers are Committing to Deploy Solar, Putting Us On Track to Exceed the Administration’s </strong>Renew300<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Goal To Install 300 Megawatts Of Renewable Energy in Federally Subsidized Housing:</strong> In the past two years, in response to the Administration’s call to action, 70 affordable housing providers and nonprofits have committed to install solar, including 19 new commitments being announced today to install 124 MW of solar energy. Today’s commitments, when combined with previous commitments, put us on track to install 344 MW of solar by 2020, exceeding our updated 2020 goal, and far surpassing the President’s target in the Climate Action Plan to install 100 megawatts (MW) of solar and other types of renewable energy in Federally subsidized housing by 2020.</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Affirmed Housing Group, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Essex Plaza Management Company, New Jersey</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Harmony Neighborhood Development, Louisiana</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">National Community Renaissance of California, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New Bedford Housing Authority, Massachusetts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The New York City Housing Authority-25 Megawatt Commitment, New York</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Saint Paul Housing Authority, Minnesota</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Corporation for Better Housing, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Coachella Valley Housing Corporation, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Levy Affiliated, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Many Mansions, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MidPen Housing, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Palm Communities, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">People's Self Help Housing, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">San Diego Youth Services, California</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Chicago Housing Authority, Illinois</li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New Partners Join DOE’s Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator.</strong> The Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator aims to lower energy bills in low income communities through expanded installation of energy efficiency and distributed renewables. Low income households spend an average of 15 to 20 percent of their income on energy bills, whereas energy burdens above 6 percent are typically considered unaffordable. This<a href="http://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/accelerators/clean-energy-low-income-communities" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Accelerator</a> encourages the development of partnerships and replicable models and will work to identify funding options that a state-level agency, local government, or utility program could use to provide energy efficiency and renewable energy access to communities that need them most. Today, 13 new partners are announcing their participation, building on the 24 founding partners:</div>
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<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BlocPower</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">District of Columbia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Holland, MI</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Orlando, FL;</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP), Iowa</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Couleecap Community Action Agency, Wisconsin</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Community Action Program of Evansville and Vanderburgh County</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">EEtility</li>
<li style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)</li>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">More than 90 member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric cooperatives</strong> in 16 states across the country are committing to install community solar projects by the end of 2017. This builds on the nearly 60 co-ops in 25 states that have already brought online community solar projects in the last year. In fact, today, <strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Pedernales Electric Cooperative</strong> is announcing a commitment to deploy up to 15 megawatts of community solar throughout its service territory, with construction beginning in late 2016. </div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Banc of California</strong> is announcing a $100 million investment in a new tax equity fund financing residential solar systems primarily to low- and moderate- income consumers and communities in California with a goal of expanding the investment to over $1 billion within 5 years. Historically, low- and moderate- income residents have not been able to obtain financing for solar systems thus this new fund will expand solar to these underserved communities lowering household electricity costs and making housing more affordable.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Google</strong> is expanding its solar mapping technology, Project Sunroof, to Washington, D.C. today, making it easier for anyone to understand and access solar power on their rooftop. Sunlight striking the earth’s surface in just one hour delivers enough energy to power the world economy for an entire year, yet only 1 percent of the U.S. energy comes from solar. Project Sunroof, an online solar assessment tool, leverages the 3D rooftop geometry data behind Google Earth to calculate the solar potential and financial benefits of solar power for 43 million American buildings across 42 states. This technology is intended to increase access to solar for all Americans. Sunroof is expanding to Washington, D.C. because Google sees great potential for residential rooftop solar: tens of thousands of D.C. rooftops have the potential to see a positive payback with solar and if only 20 percent of D.C. rooftops were to collectively switch to solar, this could unlock a total of $56 million in electricity savings over 20 years. In addition, Google's Project Sunroof is starting to work with organizations such as HUD to explore applications of Sunroof technology for low-income and multi-family housing occupants, who could benefit from the cost-saving and efficiency of solar energy for residential use.</div>
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Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-64478959419313841332016-06-17T00:39:00.001-07:002016-06-17T00:39:33.788-07:00Maryland PSC Approves Final Community Solar Regulations | CleanTechnica<div><p style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Maryland could soon be one of only 11 US states with community solar programs, as the state's Public Service Commission has just approved its final regulations for establishing a three-year pilot community solar program, which are expected to be published in the coming weeks and become final in mid-July.</span></p><p style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By allowing more residents, especially low and moderate income residents, as well as those without ownership of their roofs or who live in multi-unit buildings, to participate in the solar energy revolution, Maryland's community solar program could enable a more inclusive renewable energy ecosystem in the state. Part of the new community solar regulations speak directly to that inclusiveness, with about 30% (60 MW) of the state's community solar cap (200 MW) being set aside for low to moderate income residents.</span></p><p style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Read more:</span></p><a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2016/06/15/maryland-psc-approves-final-community-solar-regulations/">https://cleantechnica.com/2016/06/15/maryland-psc-approves-final-community-solar-regulations/</a></div><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-10907840372378893042016-06-12T04:09:00.002-07:002016-06-12T04:09:17.340-07:00Amid industry shift, keen national interest in Boulder-Xcel settlement talks | Daily Camera<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif !important; font-size: 15px !important; line-height: 22.652px !important; margin-bottom: 11.326px;">
Last week, the city and Xcel announced in a joint statement that the two are <a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_29993206/boulder-xcel-talks-end-citys-bid-create-electric" style="-webkit-transition: 0.1s ease-out; color: #5278ae; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.1s ease-out;">in talks on a settlement</a> that would end Boulder's municipalization push and allow Xcel to continue as the city's electric service provider.</div>
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Boulder is not suspending <a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_29860786/off-ramp-looms-boulders-utility-bid-but-city?source=pkg" style="-webkit-transition: 0.1s ease-out; color: #5278ae; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.1s ease-out;">ongoing litigation</a> related to its bid, and what kind of deal those talks produces can't yet be known. Officials on both sides say they won't comment on negotiations until a conceptual agreement is reached. Heather Bailey, the city's energy director and, with a salary of $279,000, its highest-paid employee, also said Friday she wouldn't comment on the general structure of the talks, or on the personnel Boulder brings to them.</div>
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After announcing the potential for a settlement, city officials rushed to declare that the idea of Boulder abandoning its bid after five-plus years and more than $10 million spent shouldn't scare anyone, and is in fact consistent with promises the City Council made years ago to settle in the event of a deal that moves the city closer to its climate goals. Chief among those is a tentative plan to make Boulder's electricity supply 100 percent renewable by 2030.</div>
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Read more: <a href="http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_30005078/amid-industry-shift-keen-national-interest-boulder-xcel">http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_30005078/amid-industry-shift-keen-national-interest-boulder-xcel</a></div>
Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-29966476800110046922016-06-10T05:11:00.000-07:002016-06-10T05:12:09.220-07:00Duke's front and back of meter ultracapacitor-battery goes live | Energy Storage News<div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The ultracapacitors perform solar smoothing tasks in real-time at the distribution level, in other words compensating for clouds passing over solar PV systems or unforeseen circumstances affecting the output of solar systems. Meanwhile the batteries simultaneously shift megawatt-hours of energy from solar systems on the distribution circuits, including a 1.2MW PV array nearby.</span></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.energy-storage.news/news/dukes-ultracapacitor-battery-system-trialling-multiple-services-up-and-runn">Duke's front and back of meter ultracapacitor-battery goes live | Energy Storage News</a> <br><br></div>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-16245233822207124042016-06-05T20:49:00.000-07:002016-06-05T20:50:03.834-07:00Strange bedfellows: How solar and utilities struck a net metering compromise in New York | Utility Dive<div><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Residential solar has been the focus of <a href="http://www.utilitydive.com/news/10-state-rooftop-solar-debates-to-watch-in-2016-and-beyond/412087/" class="ui-link" style="word-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;">high profile net metering debates</a> in other states, but not in New York. The state has two net metering rates: one for residential rooftop solar and one for community-shared distributed generation. While residential net metering has been growing "at a natural pace," the pressing issue in New York was "community net metering," said Stephen Wemple, director of the utility of the future team at Consolidated Edison, the power provider for New York City.</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Community-shared solar was growing at a faster pace than residential solar, Wemple said. At the time, more than 3,100 MW of renewable energy systems eligible for net metering were in the interconnection queue or that are already hooked up to the grid.<strong> </strong></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">About half of those were community and remote net metering, Wemple said, which he said could raise ratepayer bills and pose problems for the "logistics" of grid interconnection. Something needed to be done, ideally to "establish a boundary for these larger projects." </span></p><a href="http://www.utilitydive.com/news/strange-bedfellows-how-solar-and-utilities-struck-a-net-metering-compromis/419367/">http://www.utilitydive.com/news/strange-bedfellows-how-solar-and-utilities-struck-a-net-metering-compromis/419367/</a></div><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-41673128752362623162016-06-02T00:25:00.001-07:002016-06-02T00:26:00.043-07:00Presidential Candidates on RenewablesSec. Clinton: I Want The U.S. To Be The "Clean Energy Superpower" Of The 21st Century. During an April 2016 MSNBC town hall, Sec. Clinton said, "We are ... going to look at how we use clean renewable energy to create more jobs because we have to deal with that. And somebody is going to be the 21st century clean energy superpower. It's either going to be China, Germany or us. I want it to be us because there will be a lot of jobs, again, that have to be done right here in America." [MSNBC, 4/25/16]
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<br>Sen. Sanders: "We Need To Act Immediately" To Move To "100 Percent Renewable Energy." In January 2016, Sen. Sanders tweeted, "We need to keep fossil fuels in the ground, and move to 100 percent renewable energy - and we need to act immediately." [@BernieSanders Twitter, 1/6/16]
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<br>Read more: <a href="http://www.lcv.org/assets/docs/presidential-candidates-on-renewable.pdf">http://www.lcv.org/assets/docs/presidential-candidates-on-renewable.pdf</a>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-90060209880797262452016-06-01T23:58:00.001-07:002016-06-01T23:58:39.298-07:00'Solar revolution': Labor climate plan warms up to renters, pensioners | Sydney Morning HeraldGroups of renters could share a "garden" of solar panels and the technology would be encouraged in public housing and aged-care homes in a $98.7 million Labor push to bring the "solar revolution" to those who do not own their homes.
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<br>Projects might include community wind farms, "solar gardens" or shared arrays of solar panels for groups of renters, retrofitting social housing to promote energy efficiency and encouraging solar rooftop installations on social housing and aged-care properties.
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<br>Read more: <a href="http://m.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/solar-revolution-labor-climate-plan-warms-up-to-renters-pensioners-20160601-gp8sc8.html">http://m.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/solar-revolution-labor-climate-plan-warms-up-to-renters-pensioners-20160601-gp8sc8.html</a>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-20460814411028742172016-05-12T16:26:00.001-07:002016-05-12T16:26:54.341-07:00Additional PV Comes To Finland Via Community Solar Model | CleanTechnica<div><p style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Finland, shared PV projects currently account for 13% of the nation's solar power production. It might well become one of the main driving forces for Finland's tiny solar sector, reports <a href="http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/finland-to-add-more-pv-using-community-solar-model_100024372/#axzz47Lo1etay" target="_blank" style="-webkit-transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; font-weight: 700;"><em>pv magazine</em></a>. Now the percentage figure will increase.</span></p><p style="line-height: 22px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Earlier this month, Helsinki-based energy company <a href="http://www.pv-magazine.com/news/details/beitrag/work-underway-on-finlands-largest-pv-system_100019420/#axzz471jo01Fx" style="-webkit-transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; transition: 0.8s ease-in-out; font-weight: 700;">Helen</a> commissioned the Kivikko solar plant, to be located on the rooftop of an indoor cross-country skiing hall in Finland's capital, Helsinki.</span></p><a href="http://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/09/additional-pv-comes-finland-via-community-solar-model/">http://cleantechnica.com/2016/05/09/additional-pv-comes-finland-via-community-solar-model/</a></div><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-48568044461698934502016-05-08T01:23:00.001-07:002016-05-08T01:23:27.155-07:00America Has 1 Million Solar Installations. Will the Next Million Reach Low-Income Communities? | Greentech Media<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In early March, America's <a href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/The-U.S.-Solar-Market-Now-One-Million-Installations-Strong" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">millionth <span class="tooltip-wrapper" rel="article-tip" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; position: relative; display: inline-block;">solar</span> installation</a> went on-line, reaching 27 gigawatts of generation capacity across all 50 states and 1 percent of U.S. electricity. This milestone marks solar energy's mainstream moment. It is also a powerful inflection point to consider how we ensure the next million installations spread solar's economic benefits to disadvantaged communities.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Solar can provide economic relief for struggling families via lower utility bills and well-paid career opportunities requiring no advanced training. The opportunity to <a href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Millions-of-Americans-Stand-to-Benefit-from-Targeted-Low-Income-Solar-Polic" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">deploy solar and create jobs</a> in underserved communities is huge. Over 6 million affordable housing units currently exist in the U.S., and census data suggests around 22 million owner-occupied households have incomes at or below 80 percent of their area median income.</span></p><div>Read more: <a href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/How-the-next-million-U.S.-solar-projects-can-reach-low-income-communities">America Has 1 Million Solar Installations. Will the Next Million Reach Low-Income Communities? | Greentech Media</a> <br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/download?ref_src=MailTweet-iOS">Download</a> the Twitter app</div><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-42062884654567890492016-05-04T04:18:00.000-07:002016-05-04T04:18:05.708-07:00Xcel to proceed with Eau Claire solar project | Chippewa Herald<div>
(Note- this article makes the error of comparing the kilowatt price of the solar garden with incentives factored in with the cost of rooftop solar not including incentives or tax benefits. - Joy)</div>
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LA CROSSE — Despite lower than anticipated initial interest, Xcel Energy is poised to go forward with two community solar gardens in western Wisconsin.<br /><br />Filings with state utility regulators show Xcel has sold only 12 percent of the available panels but anticipates selling 95 percent by the end of the year.<br /><br />The company’s first annual report to the Public Service Commission shows 42 residential customers have subscribed to just over 99 kilowatts of the 2,000 available. Four commercial subscribers have agreed to purchase more than 140 kilowatts.<br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://chippewa.com/news/local/xcel-to-proceed-with-eau-claire-solar-project/article_74520b9d-be8b-5565-a004-54f730206035.html">http://chippewa.com/news/local/xcel-to-proceed-with-eau-claire-solar-project/article_74520b9d-be8b-5565-a004-54f730206035.html</a>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-76717935564659557462016-05-04T02:34:00.000-07:002016-05-04T02:34:33.527-07:00Net Metering Cap Leaves Community Solar Projects Across The State In Limbo | Vermont Public RadioSolar arrays have sprouted across the Vermont landscape over the past decade, but policy makers weren't ready for one consequence of the solar boom: reaching the cap on new solar projects.<br /><br />Last fall, Vermont’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power, <a href="http://digital.vpr.net/post/utilities-reach-net-metering-cap-customer-generated-power#stream/0">hit the cap</a> for how many mid-sized and larger solar projects it can hook up to the grid. That means many that were planned just won't get built this year. <br /><br />At one farm in South Royalton, the limit has stymied the community’s plan for a shared solar array.<div>
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Read more: <a href="http://digital.vpr.net/post/net-metering-cap-leaves-community-solar-projects-across-state-limbo">http://digital.vpr.net/post/net-metering-cap-leaves-community-solar-projects-across-state-limbo</a><br /><div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.125em; line-height: 1.75em; margin-bottom: 1.5625rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
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Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-12725913272014254332016-04-25T17:56:00.003-07:002016-04-25T17:56:41.874-07:00The Total Installed Capacity for U.S. Community Solar Programs Is Expected to be 1.5 GW in 2020 | Navigant ResearchA new slide-based report from <a href="http://www.navigantresearch.com/">Navigant Research</a> explores the community solar market in the United States, with a focus on technology and policy trends, customer adoption, utility rollouts, and the vendor landscape, through 2025.<br /><br />Utilities across the U.S. have been deploying community solar programs since 2010, offering solar energy to residential and commercial users in multi-story buildings and those without an adequate roof to support solar electricity generation. Community solar is enabled by virtual net metering, which allows consumers to offset part or all of their electricity bills with the electricity produced by the solar project. <a href="http://ctt.ec/3fH27">Click to tweet</a>: According to a new report from <a href="https://twitter.com/NavigantRSRCH">@NavigantRSRCH</a>, the total installed capacity for community solar programs across the country is expected to be 1.5 GW in 2020, representing a $2.5 billion market.<div>
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Read more: <a href="http://www.navigantresearch.com/newsroom/the-total-installed-capacity-for-u-s-community-solar-programs-is-expected-to-be-1-5-gw-in-2020">http://www.navigantresearch.com/newsroom/the-total-installed-capacity-for-u-s-community-solar-programs-is-expected-to-be-1-5-gw-in-2020</a></div>
Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049536103616853084.post-27338749306903004642016-04-21T19:16:00.000-07:002016-04-21T19:17:01.119-07:00“Community Storage” Is a New Way to Think About Reducing Grid Costs | RMI Outlet<div><p style="margin: 15px 0px 10px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Energy storage is one of the hottest topics in the electricity industry today. <a href="http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2015_06_11_tesla_hitting_the_battery_accelerator" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">As battery costs decline</a>, many actors are recognizing the huge potential of storage to lower the cost of the grid and become a <a href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/us-energy-storage-market-grew-243-in-2015-largest-year-on-record" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">booming, multibillion dollar market</a>. But although Tesla and <a href="http://www.utilitydive.com/news/the-tesla-killer-sonnens-ceo-on-its-us-energy-storage-market-strategy/416866/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">its competitors</a> capture all the headlines, it's always worth noting that energy storage can come from multiple sources—not just batteries—and there are many ways to bring the technology to market.</span></p><p style="margin: 15px 0px 10px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Now, a promising new initiative launched by a coalition of industry stakeholders aims to promote the concept of "<a href="http://communitystorageinitiative.com/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">community storage</a>" in utilities across the U.S. Community storage programs let utilities aggregate customer-owned, behind-the-meter resources like water heaters, electric vehicles, and batteries to provide services to the grid. In doing so, these programs help reduce the cost of maintaining and upgrading the grid, and help lower customers' bills. </span></p><a href="http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2016_04_18_community_storage_is_a_new_way_to_think_about_reducing_grid_costs">http://blog.rmi.org/blog_2016_04_18_community_storage_is_a_new_way_to_think_about_reducing_grid_costs</a></div><div><br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div>Joy Hugheshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13675699306001793000noreply@blogger.com0