Solar America Communities Outreach Partnership
National Outreach Effort Launched in Fall 2010
On April 14, 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $10 million in funding over 5 years for two organizations to help accelerate the adoption of solar energy among local governments. The selected organizations, the International City-County Management Association (ICMA), and ICLEI-USA - Local Governments for Sustainability, will conduct outreach to thousands of local governments across the nation, sharing best practices for increasing solar energy use in their communities.
ICMA and ICLEI will conduct outreach to local governments across the U.S. that have not been part of the Solar America Cities program, enabling those local governments to take informed action to expand their local solar market. The ICLEI and ICMA teams will assist DOE in proactively addressing the solar-related information needs of significant local markets, as well as provide a mechanism by which DOE can respond to requests from individual local governments for timely information on solar energy.
To best accelerate solar energy deployment, DOE encourages local governments to take a comprehensive approach as opposed to a project-by-project approach. Therefore, ICLEI and ICMA will provide information in many relevant areas, including solar policies and regulations, financial incentives, workforce training, and utility and community engagement. DOE’s recent publication titled
Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments will serve as the foundation for the outreach efforts.
Anticipated outreach activities include disseminating information through national newsletters and local government membership organizations, peer-to-peer information sharing at regional workshops, and tailored one-on-one workshops for local governments.
ICMA and ICLEI have developed a collaborative outreach plan. The partners initiated outreach activities in fall 2010.
READ THE DOE PROGRESS ALERT
About awardees:
International City / County Management Association (ICMA), Washington DC
ICMA provides publications, data, information, technical assistance, and training and professional development to thousands of city, town, and county experts. ICMA will partner with the American Planning Association (APA) and the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) under this award.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, Boston, MA
ICLEI-USA - Local Governments for Sustainability is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development. ICLEI will partner with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University, the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), Meister Consultants Group, and The Solar Foundation under this award.
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