Sosolarmarin, a non-profit coalition of San Rafael homeowners interested in purchasing solar energy, will hold its first meeting Monday, October 1, in the Tamalpais Room at the San Rafael Corporate Center. Dana Armanino, the Green Business Coordinator for Marin County, will attend the meeting and be available to answer questions.
Photo Courtesy of Marin Solar
Published: October, 2007
Lisa Max, gosolarmarin’s organizer and a member of the Executive Steering Committee of the Lincoln San Rafael Hill Neighborhood Association (LSRHNA), began accepting expressions of preliminary interest from Marin County homeowners two weeks ago. She said that more than 150 homeowners had already expressed an interest in joining the group.
The allure of solar energy as a green alternative at a discounted price has struck a responsive chord in the community, said Max. Newspaper and television coverage, coupled with support of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods, and the Executive Committee of Sustainable San Rafael, have helped spread the word rapidly.
Max said that the objectives of the meeting were to answer general questions, create a committee to develop a Request for Proposal (RFP) to present to the solar companies who have expressed an interest in working with gosolarmarin, and set an agenda for next steps as she continues to meet with companies.
We are not at a point where people have to make an opt-in/opt-out decision, Max said. However, we do want to make sure that we have a group of sufficient size and commitment to go to the next step. We certainly want to be through the RFP stage by year’s end.
Max has met with more than a dozen companies and consultants over the past six months as she developed her concept. In earlier meetings, the companies told her that they were interested in working with community groups to conduct informational meetings and discuss construction and permit issues. The current companies that have expressed an interest are Cooperative Community Energy Corporation (CCEnergy), Marin Solar, SolarCraft Services, and SPG Solar.
In preliminary discussions, companies have suggested that a 30 percent savings on installation costs over individual installations is possible if the work is contracted by a large enough group of homeowners. There are also federal, state and local incentives available. Max said she has also made preliminary contact with banks to determine if they would be willing to provide financing incentives.
Max first thought of organizing a community solar purchase three years ago when she and her husband moved from Bellevue, WA to Marin County. Last winter, she learned of a solar project on the Peninsula; to date, 78 residents have enrolled in that program, along with 119 homes in Mountain View and 20 homes in Woodside. Nine other Bay Area community groups are in various stages of the process.
The response here has been overwhelmingly positive, she said. We have the opportunity to do a good thing and save money for all of the participants. Max said that interested individual homeowners and neighborhood associations should contact her at 415-847-0900 or via email at gosolarmarin@yahoo.com.
Photo Courtesy of Marin Solar
