Get Energy Smart! NOW!

THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2014

FACT SHEET: Building on Progress – Supporting Solar Deployment and Jobs

White House Celebrates Leadership on Solar and Calls for Commitments to Support Solar Deployment and Jobs

To advance our nation’s energy and climate goals, the United States must be a leader in innovating and deploying clean energy. Solar is a vital component of the Administration’s all-of the above strategy. Supported by historic investments in research, development, and deployment, the price of solar technologies has decreased and the U.S. solar market has experienced rapid growth since President Obama took office.

But the President is committed to continuing the momentum. That is why, today, the White House is hosting a Solar Summit to honor cross-sector leadership on solar and announce new steps to expand the use of solar in our homes, businesses, and schools.  The White House is also calling, today for new commitments from the private sector and non-profits to support solar deployment and jobs.

Today’s event will be live-streamed on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Calling for Commitments

President Obama is committed to making 2014 a year of action and has pledged to use the power of his phone and his pen to make progress on behalf of the American people. In that spirit, the White House is calling on leaders across sectors to make tangible commitments to support solar deployment and job creation. The White House will announce those commitments in coming weeks.

Highlighting Leaders in Solar Deployment

· Celebrating Solar “Champions of Change”: Across the country, individuals are taking the initiative to spur solar deployment – whether they are community leaders helping to reduce permitting times, business owners looking for a cleaner energy source, or homebuilders looking to offer new, renewable options for their customers.

Today, the White House is celebrating ten Solar Champions of Change who are driving policy changes at the local level to expand energy choices for Americans, grow jobs, and add new clean energy to the grid:

o Jessica Bailey, Director of Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE), Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority

o Donnel Baird, Founder and CEO, BlocPower

o Kate Bowman, Solar Project Coordinator, Utah Clean Energy

o Elyse Cherry, CEO, Boston Community of Capital

o Ismael Guerrero, Executive Director, Denver Housing Authority

o Peter H. Marte, CEO, Hannah Solar LLC

o Henry Red Cloud, Founder & Sole Proprietor of Lakota Solar Enterprises

o Anya Schoolman, Executive Director of Community Power Network

o Tim Sears, Co-Founder, GRID Alternatives

o Rajendra Singh, D. Houser Banks Professor, Clemson University

Expanding Solar in Homes, Businesses, Schools, and Communities

· Funding Regional Solar Market Pathways: Today, the Energy Department announced a $15 million Solar Market Pathways funding opportunity to support state, tribal, and local leaders in developing plans that create the economic environment for cost-competitive solar deployment. The new Solar Market Pathways program will target broader regulatory and policy market barriers with a focus on stakeholder partnerships and commercial-scale solar.  It will fund the development of multi-year plans and innovative programs to help spur significant solar market growth.  Examples include establishing or expanding shared or community solar programs and local financing mechanisms, such as commercial property assessed clean energy (PACE).

· Providing Technical Assistance and Analysis to Support Solar at Federally-Assisted Housing: The Climate Action Plan calls for a target of 100 megawatts of installed capacity of renewable energy on-site at federally subsidized housing by 2020.  The 100 megawatt target aims to make use of millions of federally-subsidized roofs with on-site generation potential and will more than triple the existing renewable energy capacity onsite.  Today, the Energy Department’s SunShot initiative, which is dedicated to reducing soft-costs of solar power installations, is providing staff and resources to ensure we reach the 100 megawatt target, while the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is providing technical expertise and mapping support.

· Launching an “On-Site Renewables Challenge” as part of EPA’s Green Power Partnership: Since 2001, EPA’s Green Power Partnership has worked with businesses, local and state governments, schools, and Federal agencies to expand the use of clean renewable energy, including solar.  More than 1,500 organizations have been recognized for their leadership as Green Power Partners, together purchasing enough green power annually to avoid the carbon emissions of more than 2.4 million homes.  Today, EPA announced that the Green Power Partnership will aim to double the use of on-site renewable energy, including solar energy, at Partner facilities by the end of the decade.  To support this goal, EPA is announcing a new On-site Renewables Challenge within the Green Power Partnership. The Partnership will track all Partners’ annual combined on-site renewable energy use, which will be updated quarterly. As part of the Challenge, EPA is inviting Partners to commit to increasing the amount of energy they produce and use from on-site renewables by the end of the decade.

· Sharing Best Practices with a “Solar Deployment Playbook”: To assist businesses looking to install solar, in the next few months the Energy Department will release the Commercial Solar Deployment Playbook.  The playbook will help businesses to identify low-cost financing for solar energy, provide model contracts, and offer case studies of businesses improving their bottom line by deploying solar.

· Advancing Solar by Partnering with the Rural Utilities Service: Rural America offers excellent resources for renewable energy, and is home to electric co-ops that provide reliable, affordable power for their customers.  To support the growth of renewable energy in rural areas, last year, Agriculture Department’s Rural Utility Service (RUS) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program finalized rules to facilitate the development of distributed generation and solar in rural communities.  To bolster this new RUS program, the Agriculture and Energy Departments will work with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), to develop tools, templates, and finance options for co-ops looking to deploy distributed solar in rural communities, including on Federally assisted housing.

· Leveraging Financing Tools to Deploy Solar: The growth of solar has been fueled in part by access to innovative financing tools. Today, DOE is announcing that in the coming months it will release an updated Guide to Federal Financing for Clean Energy. This guide will highlight financing programs located in various Federal agencies, such as the Treasury, EPA, and USDA, which can be used for energy efficiency and clean energy projects. Earlier this week, the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office also announced the release of the draft Renewable Energy and Efficient Energy Projects Loan Guarantee Solicitation. This solicitation makes available at least $2.5 billion in loan guarantee authority, which can support innovative solar energy projects and will highlight projects focused on improving the functionality of distributed generation and energy storage.

· Bolstering Co-Investment in Renewable Energy and Natural Gas: The NREL’s Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis is hosting a series of workshops focused on the unique opportunities for greater synergistic use of natural gas and renewable energy. The workshops will be held in four locations: New York City, focusing on the investment community; Washington, DC, focusing on national policy; and the states of Texas and California, where both natural gas and renewables play a significant role in the economy, and could be used more synergistically.

Leading By Example

· Launching a Capital Solar Challenge: Over the last 5 years, the Federal government has worked to lead by example when it comes to reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency, expanding the use of clean energy. Today, the Administration is launching the Capital Solar Challenge, which will direct Federal agencies, military installations, and Federally-subsidized complexes to identify opportunities to deploy solar renewable energy at Federal locations across the National Capital Region. The President is charging the Energy Department and GSA to assist agencies in leading the Capital Solar Challenge with the goal of developing solar renewable power on Federal rooftops, covered parking, and appropriate open land.  This program will capitalize on innovative financing and procurement models such as aggregated solar purchases, power purchases agreements, and energy performance contracts, to help lower their cost of electricity. The Capital Solar Challenge will align with efforts in the District to exponentially increase solar on Federally assisted housing as well as municipal buildings.

· Continuing to Support Solar Deployment at Military Installations: The Department of Defense – the single largest consumer of energy in the United States –committed to deploying 3 gigawatts of renewable energy on military installations, including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal, by 2025.  To help meet this goal, on April 25, the U.S. Army will break ground on asolar array that will provide nearly 25 percent of the annual installation electricity required for Fort Huachuca. The project will be the largest Department of Defense solar array on a military installation to date and establishes a new path for innovative partnerships among the U.S. Army, other Federal agencies, private industry, and the utility providers, in addition to advancing the U.S. Army’s energy security objectives.

Building on Progress

Today’s announcements build on significant progress in the American solar industry. Supported by historic investments in research, development, and deployment, the price of solar technologies has decreased and the U.S. solar market has experienced rapid growth since President Obama took office.  Last year was a record-breaking year for new solar installations, and the amount of solar power installed in the United States has increased nearly eleven fold – from 1.2 gigawatts in 2008 to an estimated 13 gigawatts today, which is enough to power more than 2.2 million American homes.

Last year, solar represented the second-largest source of new electricity added to the grid – growth that underscores significant progress, including:

· Steep Decline in Solar Technology Costs: Since the beginning of 2010, the average cost of solar panels has dropped more than 60% and the cost of a solar photovoltaic electric system has dropped by about 50%. Solar is now more affordable and more accessible for more American families and companies.

· Deployment of Solar on Public Lands and Buildings: Five years ago, there were no renewable energy projects on public lands. Today, the Interior Department is on track to permit enough renewable energy projects on public lands by 2020 to power more than 6 million homes; the Defense Department has set a goal to deploy three gigawatts of renewable energy – including solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal – on Army, Navy, and Air Force installations by 2025; and, as part of the Climate Action Plan, the Federal Government overall committed to sourcing 20% of the energy consumed in Federal buildings from renewable sources by 2020.

· Creation of Solar Jobs: According to industry analysis, solar now employs nearly 143,000 workers in the United States, a growth of more than 50% since 2010.  Jobs in the solar industry are increasing faster than any other sector in the United States – by more than 20% each year.  Every four minutes, another American home or business goes solar, supporting workers whose jobs can’t be outsourced.

===================================

THE WHITE HOUSE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 17, 2014

White House Honors “Champions of Change” for Solar Deployment

WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday, April 17, 2014, the White House will honor ten local heroes who are “Champions of Change” for their efforts to promote and expand solar deployment in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

As the President highlighted in his State of the Union address, the pace of solar deployment has picked up. Last year was a record-breaking year for new solar installations, and the amount of solar power installed in the U.S. has increased around eleven fold – from 1.2 gigawatts in 2008 to an estimated 13 gigawatts today, which is enough to power more than 2.2 million American homes. In fact, every four minutes another American home or business went solar. Whether it is deployed at the utility scale or by rural electric co-ops, businesses, multifamily housing, or new home builders, solar power is now a cost competitive option that offers financial and environmental benefits. This trend has yielded new economic opportunities for many Americans – job growth in the solar industry is now increasing by 20% each year.

President Obama is committed to continuing the momentum. In June 2013, the President launched a comprehensive Climate Action Plan to cut carbon pollution and advance the clean energy economy. As part of that Plan, the President set a goal to double solar, wind, and geothermal electricity generation by 2020 and to more than triple the onsite renewable energy production in federally assisted residential buildings.

On Thursday, at the White House Solar Summit, we will honor individuals that are leading the charge across the country to create jobs and economic opportunity in solar power, and drive policy changes at the local level to further advance solar deployment in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event is closed to press but will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live at 9:00 am EST on April 17.  To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions.

Jessica Bailey, Director of Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE), Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority

Norwalk, CT

Jessica Bailey joined Connecticut’s “green bank,” the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, as the Director of Commercial and Industrial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) in August 2012. In this role, she has designed a state-wide program that allows building owners to access financing to perform clean energy improvements on their properties. In the first year, this program brought $20 million in financing to clean energy projects in Connecticut resulting in the deployment of over 3 megawatts of solar energy and millions of dollars of energy efficiency savings across 2 million square feet of buildings.  Through her work in Connecticut, Bailey has demonstrated the power of PACE financing to quickly deploy clean energy. Bailey worked from 2004-2012 at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, where she served as the Fund’s program officer for sustainable development. She received her graduate degree from Yale University and undergraduate from the University of Notre Dame.

Donnel Baird, Founder and CEO, BlocPower

New York, NY

Donnel Baird is the founder and CEO of BlocPower, an early stage startup that markets, finances, and installs solar and energy efficiency retrofits in churches, synagogues, non-profits, and small businesses in financially underserved neighborhoods. BlocPower will connect portfolios of these clean tech installation opportunities to impact investors via an online marketplace. Donnel is an Echoing Green/Open Society Foundation BMA Fellow and the first Entrepreneur in Residence at Jalia Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in for-profits with a social and environmental mission. Donnel spent 7 years as a community and political organizer. He is a recent graduate of Columbia Business School, where he was a Board of Overseers Fellow and a recipient of investment from the Lang Fund For Entrepreneurial Initiative.

Kate Bowman, Solar Project Coordinator, Utah Clean Energy

Salt Lake City, UT

Kate Bowman is the Solar Project Coordinator for Utah Clean Energy (UCE), a non-profit, non-partisan organization in Salt Lake City, Utah.  In her role at UCE, Kate coordinates Community Solar initiatives to help individuals join forces to tackle logistical and financial barriers and install solar through a streamlined process. These innovative programs have helped to jumpstart local solar markets: last year, homeowners who participated in a Community Solar project in Summit County, Utah installed five times more residential solar than was installed in all of the previous year.  Conversations about our energy future are taking place at dinner tables and in boardrooms across the nation, and Kate’s work at UCE has empowered citizens who see the connection between clean energy and a sustainable future. Kate began work at Utah Clean Energy as an AmeriCorps member, and previously served two terms with UCE as a part of the Utah Conservation Corps program.

Elyse Cherry, CEO, Boston Community of Capital

Brookline, MA

Elyse Cherry is Chief Executive Officer of Boston Community Capital, a leading community development financial institution that pursues bold, innovative solutions for defeating poverty.  Under her leadership, Boston Community Capital has invested nearly $1 billion in projects that build healthy communities where low-income people live and work, including affordable homes for more than 15,000 families; child care facilities and schools serving over 14,000 youths, and community health centers serving over 81,000 patients annually. Its nationally recognized SUN Initiative has kept hundreds of families facing foreclosure in their homes with mortgages they can afford. Boston Community Capital’s solar initiatives help low-income communities and nonprofits gain access to the cost savings and price stability of solar power and participate in efforts to address climate change. To date, Boston Community Capital has placed over 17,600 panels on the roofs of affordable housing and community facilities, which reduce carbon emissions by the equivalent of 6.7 million miles of car travel.

Ismael Guerrero, Executive Director, Denver Housing Authority

Denver, CO

Ismael Guerrero has served as Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver (DHA), since June 2007.  Under Ismael’s leadership, DHA has undertaken an ambitious plan to transform public housing in Denver. Creating vibrant, sustainable, mixed-income communities of choice, the award winning Benedict Park Place, Mariposa District, future Sun Valley community transformative initiative, and revitalization of aging housing stock through innovative financing.

Peter Marte, CEO, Hannah Solar LLC

Atlanta, GA

Peter Marte is the founder and CEO of Hannah Solar, located in the heart of Atlanta, and has worked diligently over the last six years throughout the state of Georgia to develop a solar market where none existed only a few short years ago. He has been very active on the policy side of the industry as vice-chair of the Georgia chapter of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) which has built consensus and support for solar within the state by working with many stakeholders including the Public Service Commission, local utilities and the legislature. This work has been a team initiative with competitors, suppliers and clients coming together, the result being solar adoption growing from less than 500KW (kilowatts) in 2009 to over 840 MW (megawatts) being approved for the Georgia Power Advanced Solar Initiative to be built by 2016. The solar industry in the state now exceeds $300 million annually and Hannah Solar has grown to become the largest solar integrator in the region as well as being the largest integrator of Electric Vehicle Charging Station Equipment. Coupling the synergies between the two rapidly growing clean energy industries is a focus of Pete and the leadership team at Hannah Solar. Pete is a NABCEP certified Solar PV Installer and an engineering graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy.

Henry Red Cloud, Founder & Sole Proprietor of Lakota Solar Enterprises

Pine Ridge, SD

Henry Red Cloud is the Founder and Sole Proprietor of Lakota Solar Enterprises (LSE) on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. One of the first 100% Native American-owned and operated renewable energy companies in the nation, LSE employs tribal members to manufacture and install efficient solar air heating systems for Native American families living on reservations across the Great Plains. Additionally, Henry manages the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center (RCREC), a one-of-a-kind Native educational facility where tribes from around the U.S. receive hands-on green job training in renewable energy technology and sustainable building practices. Henry Red Cloud is providing Native Americans with “a new way to honor the old ways” through sustainable energy solutions that are environmentally sound, economically beneficial, and culturally appropriate.

Anya Schoolman, Executive Director of Community Power Network

Washington, DC

Anya Schoolman is the Executive Director of Community Power Network, a national nonprofit that helps communities build and promote local renewable energy projects and policies.  Ms. Schoolman founded the Mt. Pleasant Solar Coop in 2007 with her son Walter. As President she led a city-wide effort in Washington, DC to make solar accessible and affordable to all residents. She has assisted more than 300 homeowners in Washington DC to go solar and has helped foster the creation of 11 sister coops that joined together to form a city-wide organization called DC Solar United Neighborhoods (DC SUN). Ms. Schoolman is also the founder of the Community Power Network, where she manages programs to promote solar and local economic development. Community Power Network is currently supporting state projects called Maryland Sun (MD-SUN), West Virginia Sun (WV-SUN) and Virginia Sun (VA-SUN), as well as policies and project models for bringing solar to low-income households. In 2009 Ms. Schoolman was honored as the MD, DC, and VA Solar Energy Industries Association Solar Champion.

Tim Sears, Co-Founder, GRID Alternatives

Albany, CA

Tim Sears, P.E., is the co-founder of GRID Alternatives, the country’s largest nonprofit solar installer. Along with his co-founder Erica Mackie, Mr. Sears has developed and scaled a powerful program for making solar energy accessible to low-income families that need the savings the most, while using a “barn raising” installation model that provides people from all walks of life with hands-on training and job experience in the growing solar industry. Under their leadership, GRID Alternatives has installed 4,150 solar projects across the country – systems that will generate over $114 million worth of long-term energy savings that working families can use to help pay for basic expenses. These projects have also provided over 15,000 individuals with training and job experience in a real-world solar installation setting. Mr. Sears has an engineering degree from Stanford University, and previously worked for a private energy efficiency consulting firm working on projects ranging from large corporate and military facilities to Alaska native health centers.

Rajendra Singh, D. Houser Banks Professor, Clemson University

Clemson, SC

Rajendra Singh, PhD serves as D. Houser Banks Professor in the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. Starting as a graduate student in 1974 and working on Silicon Solar Cells as the topic of his PhD thesis dissertation, in the last 40 years Dr. Singh has played the role of visionary leader to advance the technology of photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing. Based on Dr. Singh’s contributions, several companies are selling fast processing furnaces for manufacturing photovoltaic modules.  Based on economic considerations, in 1980 he predicted silicon as the dominant PV material. To transform global electricity infrastructure, he is providing leadership to use PV as the source of local direct current electricity in the US and emerging and underdeveloped economies. To prepare future solar leaders of the 21st century, mentoring students at all levels (including pre high school) is his passion. He is actively involved with civic groups (e.g. Sierra Club) to bring legislation and regulations in South Carolina that will lead to the growth of solar generated electricity.