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Sacramento, CA
The City of Sacramento and the greater Sacramento region have a longstanding commitment to solar energy. Sacramento is home to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) (the local municipal utility), which has helped to make Sacramento a forerunner in the development of photovoltaic (solar-electric, or PV) applications. The Sacramento Metropolitan Area is the largest in California’s Central Valley and averages 193 sunny days per year.
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Credit:SMUD
Premiere Gardens "solar subdivision" in Rancho Cordova, Calif. The 100 building-integrated PV homes are among the first of their kind in the nation and the newest solar vision for SMUD.
Credit:SMUD
The 540 kilowatt PV system at the California State Exposition Fairgrounds produces power while providing shade for parked cars.
Credit:SMUD
Flat solar panels integrated with "cool roof" technology (which reflects sunlight away from the roof) achieve increased energy savings in this commercial building.
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Activities
“Sacramento Solar Access” (the name of Sacramento’s Solar America Cities effort) seeks to increase the adoption of solar energy by addressing current market barriers and preparing infrastructure to optimize solar production in the future. To accomplish this, Sacramento Solar Access takes a three-pronged approach: - Lead by example
- Develop a local solar industry
- Break down near- and long-term barriers.
- Lead by Example - the citywide demonstration of solar will serve as a model of solar adoption and feasibility
- Install municipally-owned solar energy systems on high visibility locations within the city.
- Leverage the city’s assets for solar energy systems whose output could be sold and credited to city residents and businesses in a “surrogate roof” model.
- Provide solar educational information and programs at high-visibility community locations such as libraries and community centers.
- Develop a Local Solar Industry
- Establish a Clean/Green Technology Incentive Zone.
- Work with SMUD and other partners to develop a solar technician certificate program.
- Break Down Near- and Long-Term Barriers
- Develop design guidelines, best practices, and educational materials on solar’s integration into historical districts and solar’s co-existence with urban tree canopies in “the City of Trees.”
- Create a solar self-assessment Web site to allow examination of solar potential and economics of installing solar.
- Adopt solar-friendly zoning, access rights and other regulatory provisions.
- Create solar design guidelines for buildings to maximize compatibility with future application of PV, including maximizing solar capacity through the refinement of building height regulations.
Partners
- Build It Green
- City of Sacramento (Project Lead)
- CleanStart
- Sacramento Municipal Utility District
- Sacramento Tree Foundation
- Solar Depot
- Valley Vision
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