Program Highlight
ASTI Newsletter | November 2013 Edition | By Stephen Wolcott
Photo courtesy of MARC
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced November 6th that Optony will receive a SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge II award to implement actionable steps across 15 states to make solar system installations more cost effective. Optony, a third-time DOE award recipient, represents the largest of eight awardees in geographic scope and number of participants, selected for the second round of the Challenge.
Through the American Solar Transformation Initiative (ASTI), Optony will deploy a highly effective approach for municipal governments and industry stakeholders to unlock the solar potential in their communities and bring associated economic activity, job creation, and regional environmental benefits. Optony is already working with over 100 cities, counties, and utilities from coast to coast, and successfully completed the Southwest Solar Transformation Initiative that was funded under the first Rooftop Solar Challenge.
With this award, Optony will provide interactive technical expertise across 5 key focus areas of permitting, planning, interconnection, financing and market development to 400 jurisdictions across 15 states over the next 30 months via the Solar Roadmap™ online platform. The Solar Roadmap organizes national best practices and makes them easily accessible for government agencies, regional organizations, residents, businesses and electric utilities. This innovative platform helps communities and electric utilities across the country capture economic and environmental benefits from clean energy deployment by making it easier, faster, and more affordable to go solar. A recent DOE SunShot Newsletter article described the platform as being “like a travel agent, guidebook, and GPS [for solar development] rolled into one.”
Optony has partnered with leading national organizations and regional councils across the country to make fast progress and coordinate efforts regionally and nationwide for maximum impact for over 60 million residents.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand states, “Optony’s efforts will help focus on overcoming solar market challenges, and will help make significant progress towards building a clean energy economy in New York.”
Optony is helping communities across the United States grow their local solar markets. Senior Vice-President for Optony, Benjamin Foster, shared “we have an outstanding team assembled to support this initiative, combined with a robust technology platform and many excellent partners like the Solar Electric Power Association and California Center for Sustainable Energy to deliver lasting impact.”
For more information about the American Solar Transformation Initiative and the Solar Roadmap visit https://www.solarroadmap.com/asti.
