Program Update
ASTI Newsletter | August 2014 Edition
As the dog days of summer set in, the American Solar Transformation Initiative has beat the heat and continued to gain momentum. ASTI has expanded the reach and impact to California’s southern coast, while communities across the U.S. continue to achieve goals related to process improvements and solar market development. Based on our latest weekly statistical analysis for all participants on the Solar Roadmap platform, we have added 10 new local actions each week for the past four months–with a total of over 2,800 market transforming actions concurrently tracked and supported nationally!
The ASTI team recently presented another Solar Power Hour webinar, “Residential Solar Group Purchasing: Implementing Successful Programs”, which featured guest presentations from our partners 4CORE and EnergySage. Participants received an overview of several models for group purchasing initiatives and learned about best practices from 4CORE’s Solarize La Plata program. The webinar slide deck can be viewed here.
In the Intermountain West, utilities and local governments alike are revving up their activity on the Solar Roadmap. As this edition’s feature article details, Park City and Summit County, UT, are leveraging the Solar Roadmap to organize a collaborative solar procurement as well as to coordinate solar installation inspection standards between the two jurisdictions. In Idaho, the municipal utility Idaho Falls Power plans to utilize ASTI’s technical assistance to revise their net metering policy to incorporate national best practices, while the City of Idaho Falls has just embarked upon creating a community-centered Solar Roadmap of their own.
In the mid-Atlantic region, Optony is lending their expertise to review viable solar options for Prince George’s County. Right next door, Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation recently issued an RFP to solicit proposals to install approximately 5 MW of solar PV via carports on the County’s multi-level parking garages. This significant activity will directly enable both Maryland counties to accomplish their Solar Roadmap goals related to solar market development and deployment.
To the south, the Town of Blacksburg, Virginia is leveraging the Solar Roadmap platform to help streamline its permitting process and pave the way for accelerated review and approval of forthcoming residential solar PV systems that will be installed through their ongoing Solarize Blacksburg program. The ASTI team is providing ongoing technical assistance to help the Town leverage national best practices and reach their goals faster than the state at large.