17 Jul Solarize Plano!

This Tuesday, Larry Howe with Plano Solar Advocates made the trip down I-35 from north of Dallas to share his experience with collective purchasing of solar PV systems with the Solar Austin Happy Hour crowd. The Solarize Plano projects he's worked on are based on a process developed by the DOE Sun Shot Initiative for Portland, OR. (Solarize Guidebook.) The Solarize process is both about educating people about the benefits of solar energy and harnessing group purchasing power to get great prices on solar PV. Here's more on how the projects have worked in Plano:

Phase I – Organize! To launch a Solarize project you need a trusted organization and a strong community partner. The Plano Solar Advocates (PSA) was the “trusted organization” in this case. The PSA recruited the City of Plano's Live Green Plano program as a partner. Of course, a second key ingredient is spreading the word. PSA utilized all the free services they could find for e-mail, website, conventional media and social media. Many volunteer hours were also essential to their success.

Phase II – Educate & Close Deals! Once the stage is set, then the Solarize project takes participants through three steps toward installing PV.

1. Enroll and attend a workshop about how PV systems work and their benefits. This step also includes some one-on-one time with a real, live PV owner.
2. Get a solar site assessment for your home, or business.
3. Review installer proposals (optional) and sign contract for an installation! For the Solarize Plano projects, PSA put together the request for proposal and submitted it to several installers. Enrollees in the final step are given the option to assist in review and selection of installer proposals before they seal a deal.

Last year's Solarize Plano had 175 enrollees, 52 site assessments and 20 installations. The 2014 project has slightly higher enrollment and when complete they expect 25 installations. Homeowners comprise the bulk of participants, however most notably they did have a Cinemark Theater acquire solar for their roof through this program. Typically a given area will have two, or three Solarize projects to get the momentum for solar PV going. 2014 is the last Solarize project for Plano. PSA is moving on to help Garland nearby launch a Solarize project.