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Solar Santa Monica Town Hall MeetingContact:
Santa Monica’s accomplishments were put into a larger context by Terry Tamminen, Governor Schwarzenegger’s chief energy policy advisor. “I talk about Solar Santa Monica everywhere I go,” he said. “The City is providing that one additional ingredient that helps make solar a reality.” The town hall portion of the evening invited questions and comments from the audience. One resident insisted that residential solar owners deserved the same reward (in the form of an unlimited 30% tax credit) as commercial owners. For more information about the program, and to sign up for an Assessment, go to www.solarsantamonica.com, or call Susan Munves at (310) 458-8229. # # # Solar Santa Monica BaNNER YEARContact:
Over 335 kW were installed this year, with the City itself leading the way with 181 kW at the Civic Center Parking Structure. The Phelps Group took the prize for the largest commercial installation (50 kW), independent marketer Solar City put 88 kW in the pipeline with its summer promotion, and dozens of homes and businesses participated in the Comprehensive Service offered by the City’s program, Solar Santa Monica.
(Ted Flanigan is available to report to your organization about the challenges and accomplishments of Solar Santa Monica’s first year. Contact him directly at tflanigan@ecomotion.us. or (949) 450-7155.) For more information about the program, and to sign up for an Assessment, go to www.solarsantamonica.com, or call Susan Munves at (310) 458-8229. # # # Solar Santa Monica Names Financial Partners to Provide Specialized Lending Services for City Residents
Contact: August 16, 2007 After a rigorous RFP process lasting over two months, Solar Santa Monica is proud to announce that it has selected four Financial Partners to support the City’s demonstration program. Financial Partners will make available to homeowners and business owners a variety of loans aimed specifically at financing the installation of solar systems and efficiency upgrades. The new partners, and their specialties that apply for Solar Santa Monica, are
Interested Solar Santa Monica participants will be referred directly to the Partners, who will work closely with them and, as necessary, with the Solar Santa Monica team, to be sure each project meets program goals. “Adding Financial Partners to our team is an important milestone,” said Susan Munves, who heads up Solar Santa Monica for the City. “Having lenders who understand solar – its long life, its steady income stream and its value to the property -- is key to our residents getting the kind of financing that will turn their projects into reality.” The bundling of energy efficiency and solar is a unique feature of the program. Other features that are attracting national attention for Solar Santa Monica: participants receive a thorough, no-cost efficiency and solar Assessment as a first step. This assessment is performed by a qualified expert who serves as an “honest broker” throughout the process, helping the participant understand all options, including financial. If a resident or business owner wants a solar proposal, the City refers one of its four selected Preferred Providers. These professional installation companies were also selected from some 23 interested companies via an RFP process. People not electing to install solar are offered referrals and discounts on affiliated products and services such as air conditioning, efficient appliances, etc. Preferred Providers have agreed to a low, fixed cost for a standard solar installation in Santa Monica. Pricing for commercial installations is particularly attractive – currently fully 20% below the marketplace. Over 200 residents and businesses have already indicated their interest in the program, and some 104 have gone through the Assessment process. Continued marketing support is expected to increase these numbers. Planned upcoming events include a presence at local Farmers’ Markets, a special workshop on finance to be hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, and a fall Town-Hall Meeting – a follow-on to the very successful January 2007 Kick-Off – to report on the state of the California Solar Initiative. “Solar Santa Monica wants to make environmental decisions easier for City residents,” said Ted Flanigan, President of EcoMotion, the consulting firm hired to design, market and implement the program. “Adding financial partners takes us another big step down that road.” For more information about the program, and to sign up for an Assessment, go to www.solarsantamonica.com, or call Susan Munves at (310) 458-8229. # # # Santa Monica Chamber Invites Members of the Financial Community to Participate in New Lending OpportunityContact: February 17, 2007 President Jim Lynch of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce welcomed representatives of eleven local banks at a special meeting on Thursday, February 17, in the Chamber boardroom. The meeting was called to introduce the local financial community to a new City program, Solar Santa Monica, and to examine ways local lenders might participate in financing the solar upgrades planned. Solar Santa Monica represents a new, ambitious program that aims to make the City of Santa Monica energy self-sustaining by 2020. The first stage of the program will test the vision by upgrading fifty residential and business sites with energy efficiency measures and solar electric (photovoltaic) or solar thermal (hot water) systems. Later stages will cover every feasible rooftop with solar, identified as 17,500 in all by a 2005 study. According to Susan Munves, who heads up the program for the City, the typical residential PV installation will be a 2kW AC system. Its gross cost has already been reduced to roughly $18,000 through negotiations with selected providers. This cost will be further reduced by California rebates (through the California Solar Initiative) of approximately $5,000 and by a Federal tax credit of $2,000. On the commercial side, installations are likely to be much larger, and the per-AC watt cost has been negotiated to a fixed $6.86 for program participants. The City has waived the cost of permits for solar installations. From a financial standpoint, a solar investment has these characteristics:
A 2 kW residential system could produce enough electricity to power between 30 and 50% of a home’s need, depending on usage. Actual dollar savings will depend on usage patterns and rates over the life of the system. Financing solar systems can be done via regular commercial loans, or, for residential installations, via first mortgages, second mortgages, or equity line loans. Solar Santa Monica is seeking financial partners willing to provide easy, preferred financing for its participants. “This meeting was step one of a process,” said Jim Lynch, President of the Chamber. “We want Chamber members to be first to know what’s going on, and to have the first chance at being a part of it.”
Jim Lynch, President of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, and Susan Munves, Solar Santa Monica February 1, 2007 Solar Santa Monica Selects Package Providers After a rigorous RFP process lasting over two months, Solar Santa Monica is proud to announce that it has selected a team of Package Providers to do the work of upgrading fifty demonstration sites as part of the City’s new combined energy efficiency and solar program. Solar Santa Monica’s ultimate goal is to cover 17,500 roofs with solar, making the City energy self-sufficient. The winning companies selected to do the residential upgrades are Absolutely Solar, Advanced Solar Electric, and Permacity Solar. The company selected for commercial solar installations is SunTechnics. These companies will be referred directly to all Solar Santa Monica participants, and will work closely with the City and the Solar Santa Monica team to be sure each demonstration site meets the program goals. Selection criteria included price, equipment quality and experience, as well as an extra credit for a company’s being local. Package Providers will be responsible for energy efficiency work as well as solar installations. “We are pleased to have reached this important milestone,” said Susan Munves, who heads up Solar Santa Monica for the City. “We had a number of very qualified applicants who demonstrated their understanding of and support of the project. We expect that our list of Package Providers will grow as the program grows.” Register at www.regonline.com/PVCode-SantaMonica or contact January 18, 2007 Solar Santa Monica Hosts Crowd at Solar Summit Kick-off Over 180 people braved the chill and crowded into Santa Monica’s Main Library courtyard and later, into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium to celebrate the kick-off of a new City program, Solar Santa Monica.
Master of Ceremonies Craig Perkins, Director of Environmental and Public Works Management, acknowledged that the City studied many programs around the country before developing its own. “Solar Santa Monica has a number of unique features,” said Perkins. “We hope it will be so successful that other communities will follow our lead.” Two of those unique features are the bundling of energy efficiency improvements with solar installations, and offering fixed-price “packages” of upgrades for residents. Package Providers selected by the City will install the bundled packages of solar and energy efficiency. Keynote Speaker Randy Udall, from the Colorado Organization for Resource Efficiency, praised Santa Monica for being in the vanguard of the solar movement worldwide. “Combining energy efficiency with solar is brilliant, and necessary,” he said. He also spoke to the importance of Santa Monica’s citizens giving back, and “not just being pure consumers of energy.” Keep up with the news! Get on our mailing list to receive regular updates about Solar Santa Monica. Just send an email to Virginia Nicols at vnicols@solarsantamonica.com. |
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At the Town Hall Nov. 1, EcoMotion President Ted Flanigan highlighted 2007 Solar Santa Monica accomplishments. As the chart shows, this year has seen a doubling of solar capacity for the City. At a simple rate of 15 cents/kWh, the City’s installed solar has a lifecycle value of over $5,250,000. 
