Madison to receive funding as part of $60M solar energy program

New York, N.Y. - Madison and 12 other cities will share a $2.5 million allocation from the United States Department of Energy as part of the DOE's 2007 Solar America Cities initiative.

Solar America Cities, which is part of a $60 million DOE solar energy program announced by DOE Secretary Samuel W. Bodman, were competitively selected for two-year projects that are designed to integrate solar technologies into city energy planning, zoning, and facilities, and to streamline city regulations that impact solar adoption by residents and businesses.

With the intent of providing models for other cities to follow, Solar America Cities were selected based on their commitment to a comprehensive approach to the deployment of solar technologies.

Other Solar America Cities are Ann Arbor, Mich.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; New Orleans, La.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Berkeley, San Diego, and San Francisco, Calif.; Tucson, Ariz.; and New York.

The Bush Administration's solar energy program seeks to make solar energy cost competitive with conventional sources of electricity by 2015. Other components of the program are $30 million for universities to research near-term improvements in solar products, and $27 million for the competitive selection of 10 cost-shared photovoltaic incubator projects. Bodman announced the funding initiatives during a finance forum of the American Council on Renewable Energy.

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