Partner Highlight
ASTI Newsletter | January 2014 Edition | By Stephen Wolcott
Image courtesy of NREL
Optony has partnered with Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) to help recruit new counties and cities throughout California and Nevada to the American Solar Transformation Initiative (ASTI). SEI is very familiar with Optony’s mission, having collaborated with the team to implement various solar projects throughout California and the Western United States over the past few years.
Founded in 1997, Strategic Energy Innovations is a non-profit that develops and delivers customized solutions to help communities accomplish their sustainability goals. SEI’s team of creative problem solvers encourages communities to adopt clean and efficient energy technologies and practices, while facilitating valuable workforce development for the green economy. SEI was a key partner in the first round of the Rooftop Solar Challenge program, where they assisted Optony with implementing the successful Southwest Solar Transformation Initiative program in Central California and Nevada.
One example of innovative approaches to encouraging solar market growth is from a recent California Solar Initiative RD&D grant to SEI and Optony. This program developed a revolving fund for solar and other renewable energy projects in the Northern San Francisco Bay Area. The SEED Fund enables regional public agencies to participate in a collaborative solar procurement initiative, without requiring them to contribute funds or make cash outlays in order to review sites, prepare competitive bid documents, and contract with responsible vendors. Successfully completed solar projects will return a portion of project costs to the SEED Fund for development of future green initiatives.
Leveraging their strong reputation and network of community partners in the Western United States, SEI will play an instrumental role in ensuring the success of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Rooftop Solar Challenge II initiative and ASTI throughout the region during the next two years.
