Portland, Ore., Mayor Sam Adams says that the city of Portland has adopted a new goal of obtaining 5 MW of city-wide solar by 2012. This solar goal was unveiled when the mayor took the stage to have Portland formally recognized as a Solar America City by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the recent National League of Cities' Green Cities Conference & Expo.
Through the Solar America Cities program, Portland receives financial and technical assistance to fund solar energy initiatives that are designed to facilitate mainstream adoption of solar energy and serve as a model for other cities.
‘With Portland's Solar Now! campaign, the city has made great strides in overcoming the perception that solar does not work in Oregon,’ says Tom Kimbis, director of solar market transformation at the DOE. ‘The efforts here demonstrate that going solar does not need to be complex and that even in the Pacific Northwest, solar can be a key component of a city's energy infrastructure.’
Since the inception of Solar Now!, Portland residents and businesses have installed over 2 MW of solar electric power, the city notes. The program provides a one-stop resource for homeowners and businesses seeking to adopt solar energy.
SOURCE: City of Portland
