The cities that have been most successful share a set of priorities: they’ve set high goals for solar capacity, they’ve ensured that homeowners receive a fair price for the solar energy they supply to the grid, they have made installing panels hassle-free and they provide attractive financing options.
That’s why Environment America's Cities Go Solar project works with local elected officials to think bigger, plan smarter, and tap the sun for more power. For example, our state and local advocates, members, and activists are:
- Calling on cities from Boston to Albuquerque to join over 150 other U.S. communities in committing to a future powered by 100 percent renewable energy, and establish a plan to get there using locally produced solar energy, and
- Backing ambitious solar energy goals in cities like San Antonio and St. Petersburg, as well as the policies and programs that will help make them a reality.
Of course every mayor wants her city to be a leader, especially when it comes to an innovation with the kind of broad transpartisan support that solar enjoys. So we’re encouraging mayors to run a race to the top on solar by comparing the growth of solar city by city in our bi-annual Shining Cities report, showcasing the results through the news media and on social media, and providing the resources cities need to capture more energy from the sun through our Mayors for Solar Energy project.
Even as we make the case for solar on environmental grounds, we’re bringing together a broad coalition that can offer a variety of reasons for local officials to act — from “Green Tea Party” activists in Georgia who want “energy freedom” to solar installers in Arizona who want green jobs, from low-income communities in Massachusetts that want cleaner air to business owners in Colorado who want to power their breweries and cafes with solar.
Since the 1970s our network of state affiliates has been calling for and winning pro-solar policies and progressing all the way to California’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative of 2006 and beyond. Environment America and our national network have chalked up solar policy victories in 12 states, plus Atlanta, San Diego, Albuquerque, St. Petersburg and more than a dozen other cities. Past successes make it easier for cities to aim higher now, and for more cities and states to jump on the bandwagon.