Solar Powering Your Community

How will you solar power your community?

Work for local government?  Want to see your community make strides with respect to renewable energy resources?  You’re in luck.

Solar powering your community has just gotten easier, thanks to a new online resource provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.  Community leaders, elected officials, local stakeholders and more can now turn to: “Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments.”  Created by Solar America Cities, as part of the Solar America Initiative, the guide will help counties, cities and towns across the U.S. create the foundations for sustainable solar markets.

According to the official website, the guide describes a number of policies or programs, followed by more information on:

• Benefits: Identifies benefits from implementing the policy or program.
• Implementation Tips and Options: Outlines various tips and options for designing and implementing the policy or program.
• Examples: Highlights experiences from communities that have successfully implemented the policy or program.
• Additional References and Resources: Lists additional reports, references, and tools that offer more information on the topic, where applicable.

Using the information provided, solar powering your community will be streamlined and effective.  Among other things, the guide “provides local governments with proven best practices enabling them to drive economic development, support clean energy jobs, and reduce carbon emissions by building a robust local solar market.”

Use the Department of Energy's guide to help solar power your community

The “Solar Powering Your Community” guide can be used in a number of ways.  The Department of Energy site suggests that it can stimulate ideas, or even create a comprehensive solar plan for your community.  Because solar power is not “one size fits all,” the guide offers a number of programs and policies that can be tailored to best serve your area.

According to the Solar Energy Technologies Program Manager, John Lushetsky:

“The Guide is based on successful projects in cities across the United States, bringing together information, best practices, and step-by-step instructions into a single resource that can help local governments accelerate the adoption of solar technologies.  The recommendations in the Guide have been successfully field tested in cities around the country, making it a valuable resource for any community that wants to reap the environmental and economic benefits of solar energy.”

Bringing solar power to your city has just been made easier.  With support from the DOE’s solar power guide, solar powering your community is a realistic goal for the 2009-10 fiscal year.  At the very least, you can start laying the foundation for a brighter, cleaner tomorrow.