The Commercial Acceleration of Solar Energy (CASE) program is helping Silicon Valley businesses increase their use of clean energy. Enabled by the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Smart Energy Enterprise Development Zone (SEEDZ) Initiative and the US Department of Energy, CASE-SV brings together the business community, municipal governments, and regional organizations to effectively use resources and aggregate their solar energy buying power.
The CASE-SV program provides free, objective support to qualifying commercial and industrial energy customers for solar site assessments, education on technical and financing options, streamlined procurement and contractual processes, and opportunities for local and national recognition. The program makes deployment easier and less expensive for participants while accelerating achievement of clean energy goals in the region. There is NO COST to participants to join the program.
Project Scope
- Participants:
- Commercial sector: Businesses throughout Silicon Valley
- Local government participants: Multiple cities in Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties
- Solar PV: rooftop, carport, ground-mount, shade structures; additional offsite solar options
- Goal: Advance solar energy by at least 5 MW or 10 commercial sites in the region over the next 12 months.
Participant Benefits
For businesses
- Best practices. Learn from other companies’ solar project experiences and from industry experts.
- Independent energy estimates. Screen for solar power generation potential and economic benefits.
- Credible vendors. Receive a short list of quotes from solar providers qualified in industry-leading specifications.
- Solar seminars. Participate in solar project workshops on technology, financing, and contracting.
- Expert assistance. Access technical assistance throughout the planning, procurement, and contracting phases.
- Receive regional and national recognition for your company’s sustainability efforts. Committed businesses have the potential to become a Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Solar Champion and an EPA Green Power Partner.
For local governments
- Make progress on the city’s Climate Action or Energy Plans’ goals
- Leverage a U.S. DOE supported program for greater local impact
- Promote local economic development and job creation
- Improve internal permitting and inspection processes
- Foster a supportive business environment
- Local and national recognition for your city’s sustainability efforts
Important Dates
- Advisory committee working group kick off meeting – April 23, 2014
- Outreach to interested businesses – Q2-3 2014
- Energy assessments for participating sites – Q2-3 2014
- Requests for vendor interest – Q4 2014
- Develop solar projects – Q1-2 2015
- Celebrate project completion – Q3 2015
CASE-SV Participants
- Kaiser Permanente
- NetApp
- JSR Micro
- Communications & Power Industries
- XP Power
- Thermo Fisher
- Varian Medical Systems
Advisory Committee Partners
- Commercial sector
- Kaiser Permanente
- Juniper Networks
- NetApp
- Varian Medical Systems
- Public sector
- City of Cupertino
- City of Fremont
- City of Mountain View
- City of Palo Alto
- City of San Jose
- City of Sunnyvale
- Supporters
- Joint Venture: Silicon Valley (SEEDZ Initiative)
- Optony, Inc (American Solar Transformation Initiative)
- US Environmental Protection Agency
- Moffett Park Business Group
Educational Webinars
CASE-SV hosted a series of three webinars to educate program participants on the technical considerations, economic benefits, and legal procurement process for installing commercial solar projects. Each of these webinars featured local case studies from solar leaders around the Bay Area, as well as an overview of each of the topics.
More Information
Visit Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s SEEDZ CASE webpage.
Download Program Fact Sheets
- For Commercial Participants (PDF)
- For Local Government Participants (PDF)
Questions or comments?
Please fill out our contact form and a member of our team will get in touch with you.