Deserving Family Receives Subsidized Solar System through City Partnership
 

SANTA ROSA, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011 – On November 8th and 9th, the City of Santa Rosa, Solar Sonoma County, and GRID Alternatives worked together to provide an income qualified resident in Santa Rosa with a fully subsidized solar photovoltaic (PV) system while supplying on-the-job training for at-risk youth.
 
Nonprofit and licensed solar installer, GRID Alternatives managed the project and provided the solar panels and project materials. “GRID Alternatives plans on installing 40 more systems throughout Sonoma County by the end of 2015,” said Maura McKnight, Development Officer for GRID Alternatives. “This is just the beginning of our partnership with Santa Rosa.”
 
Santa Rosa’s Community Action Partnership’s YouthBuild students along with Solar Sonoma County scholarship students installed the solar system as part of workforce development training. “Often these kids come from gang related backgrounds but through programs like GRID Alternatives they learn job training skills, and practice leadership,” said Casey McChesney, Senior Program Manager, YouthBuild. Alison Healy, Executive Director of Solar Sonoma County concurs, “This type of hands on training makes our scholarship recipients qualified to obtain full-time work in the solar industry.”
 
The City of Santa Rosa Mayor, Ernesto Olivares and 5th District Supervisor, Efren Carrillo were present at the November 9th installation celebration to hand out awards to the hard-working volunteers. “The City of Santa Rosa is ahead of the game in reducing our carbon footprint but also in training our workforce. The YouthBuild and Solar Sonoma County students are the future and what a better way to train the workforce than with hands on work,” said Ernesto Olivares, Mayor of Santa Rosa.
 
The solar array installed is a 2.16 kW (DC) system that is estimated to save the household approximately $17,000 over the life of the system and prevent the emission of 58 tons of greenhouse gasses.
 

Green Homes Tour Draws An Engaged Crowd Eager to Implement Energy Saving Measures at Home 

SANTA ROSA, Calif., Thurs. Oct. 6, 2011 - The City of Santa Rosa’s Clean Energy Advocates (CEA) and Solar Sonoma County successfully highlighted six sustainable and energy efficient Santa Rosa homes through a Green Homes Tour on Sunday, October 2. The tour showcased solar installations, energy savings and water conservation measures for sustainable living. Four workshops held at separate homes covering topics such as a home energy analysis, drought tolerant landscaping and composting techniques were also offered as part of the self-guided tour. “We organized this tour to ensure that residents have enough information and feel confident in their decisions when implementing their own projects.”  Said City of Santa Rosa Clean Energy Advocate Claire Nordlie.

 Homeowners, along with solar and efficiency experts, were present at each house, speaking with tour goers about the process they went through and current benefits they’ve received. The tour highlighted rebates utilized by Energy Upgrade California and PG&E, along with participation in the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program; which is available to help residents finance efficiency and renewable measures fixed to the property. “One piece critical to this tour was allowing the homeowner’s to share their enthusiasm and satisfaction with measures they chose to implement.” Said Nordlie. Tour goers spent time speaking with homeowners at length and planned their day around the workshops offered. Awards signed by City of Santa Rosa Mayor Ernesto Olivares were given to the homeowners in recognition for their efforts in sustainable living and as a special thank you for opening their homes to the public in such a personal way.

 Those who were unable to attend the tour can visit the City of Santa Rosa CEA website soon for recorded workshop videos and are encouraged to contact the CEA’s with any related questions. “We are a pilot program and unfortunately our resources won’t be here much longer so we want to do as much as we can for residents in the limited time that we have it.” Said Nordlie. Free monthly workshops are also held in Santa Rosa by the CEA’s (2nd Wed. of each month).

 The Clean Energy Advocate is administered by the City of Santa Rosa (in partnership with Solar Sonoma County) and funded by the Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities grant.

 

City of Santa Rosa and Solar Sonoma County recognized by U.S. Department of Energy for solar leadership

(Santa Rosa, CA) May 27, 2011: Representatives from the 25 U.S. Department of Energy Solar America Cities, including the City of Santa Rosa, met in Philadelphia last month to share their cities' solar successes. Santa Rosa's Mayor Ernesto Olivares and City of Santa Rosa staff working on a U.S. Department of Energy grant funded program, gathered for the 4th annual Solar America Cities meeting to share findings on emerging trends in urban energy use. They discussed solutions to solar implementation barriers, such as zoning, financing and the unwieldy permitting processes.

The City of Santa Rosa's Solar America City team received a Steel on the Roof award for having facilitated the installation of 42 megawatts of solar PV throughout Sonoma County; more than any other county participating in the Solar America Cities program. The City was also honored with a Certificate of Recognition from U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu for advancing the city's solar market and serving as a model for communities nationwide.

"It is clear to me that there is tremendous value in the connections we have with the U.S. Department of Energy and with our partnering Solar America Cities throughout the nation as we forge a common vision for other communities to follow. These resources and strong partnerships continue to strengthen Santa Rosa's commitment to our GHG reduction targets while highlighting our abilities to remain a leader in renewable energy generation and overall market transformation." said Mayor Ernesto Olivares.

Through U.S. Department of Energy grant funding, the City of Santa Rosa has es- tablished a Clean Energy Advocate (CEA) program which provides an independent, unbiased advocate to assist Sonoma County homeowners in navigating the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and water efficiency upgrade process. The City is in partnership with local non-profit Solar Sonoma County, and continues to work at the regional and state level to further overall solar market transformation. For more information please visit: www.srcity.org/CEA. For more information on Solar America Cities please visit: www.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov.

Don't Get Burned When Going Solar
Hot tips protect consumers from solar energy scammers

By: California's Contractors State License Board

SACRAMENTO: The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) is alerting California homeowners about the need to select a licensed and qualified contractor before signing a contract for a solar energy project. Consumers who want to "go green" and take advantage of state and federal rebates and tax credits could be preyed upon by unlicensed, unscrupulous, or unaware contractors.

Unlicensed contractors in several parts of California have been convicted or are being investigated on suspicion of taking thousands of dollars from consumers for solar energy systems that were incorrectly installed - or not installed at all. Consumers may not qualify for government incentives if contractors fail to enter into solar energy contracts correctly.

CSLB urges consumers to consider the following tips before selecting a contractor for their home's solar power installation:

• Always check for the contractor's CSLB license. The state and federal government will not grant rebates or credits for a solar system installed by an unlicensed contractor. Ask the contractor to show you his or her pocket license and a photo identification to make sure it is the same person. Compare this to the license information at www.cslb.ca.gov to make sure this individual is a legitimate member of the business indicated on the license.
• Check the registration of sales representatives who solicit a contract on behalf of a contractor. A sales representative must be a Registered Home Improvement Salesperson (HIS) with CSLB. Ask to see the HIS registration card and ID, then check it on the CSLB website to make sure that individual is actually an employee of the licensed contractor before you sign a contract.
• Check your contractor's license classification on the CSLB website. Your utility company may require that a solar system be installed by a contractor with a specific classification.
• Contractor Classifications Authorized to Perform Solar Projects
• Don't pay more than $1,000 as a down payment or 10%, whichever is less, for any contract. There is an exception for about two dozen contractors with special, consumer protection bonds that are noted on CSLB's website.
• Don't be pressured into signing a contract by intimidation tactics, such as losing out on government incentives for not acting quickly. This might be a hint that the contractor does not have your best interests in mind.

"Take a few minutes to research contractors by using the "Instant License Check" and other helpful tools on CSLB's website," said CSLB Registrar Steve Sands. "Legitimate, licensed contractors want customers to be comfortable and confident with the contracts they are signing. And licensees are more likely to do all that is required in order to receive available state and federal incentives for alternative energy."

More information about hiring contractors is available on the CSLB website.

The Contractors State License Board operates under the umbrella of the California Department of Consumer Affairs. CSLB licenses and regulates more than 300,000 California contractors, and is regarded as one of the leading consumer protection agencies in the United States. In fiscal year 2008-09, CSLB investigated more than 20,000 complaints and helped recover nearly $36 million in ordered restitution for consumers.

Energy Savers: Home Energy Assessments

A home energy assessment, also known as a home energy audit, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time.

via Energy Savers: Home Energy Assessments.

Clean Energy: The Answer to Our Economic Troubles?
To create jobs, invest in clean energy.

By Stephanie Christen

With today's tough economy, it seems almost impossible to even consider sparing a few dollars to fund clean energy nonprofit organizations such as Solar Sonoma County. However, it is organizations such as Solar Sonoma County that can actually solve our common struggle of perpetual budget deficit. According to Bill Ritter, the director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, energy efficiency programs are the first thing we should be funding.

"Building this new economy starts with understanding how clean energy legislation can create jobs," said Ritter.

In his home state of Colorado, he signed 57 pieces of clean energy legislation, which led to Colorado's ranking fourth among the 50 states in its number of clean energy workers per capita. Having turned towards clean energy, Colorado was able to create thousands of new jobs through the growth of Wind-and solar-energy companies.

"What I hope does not get lost in this effort is the governors' responsibility to help develop a clean energy economy in America, one that will help create jobs, wean us off foreign oil and protect the environment," said Ritter.

President Obama's goal to produce 80 percent of America's energy from clean sources by 2035 is within reach. With the help of fellow Americans, we have the power to vote and donate toward a cleaner future, free from foreign dependence. It is companies such as Solar Sonoma County that keep this dream alive by striving to achieve the goal. Help us join in the effort to free ourselves from the chains of economic struggles.

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