S.J. honored as U.S. 'Solar City'
Dina Baslan
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
As SJSU celebrates Earth Day on campus today, San Jose is working to be an environmentally friendly city - with a little help from the government.
The city of San Jose was announced as a Solar America City by the United States Department of Energy on March 28 and will receive extra funding for its dedication to implementing solar technologies, according to a news release issued by the department. It is one of the 12 cities in the country to receive $200,000 to integrate a variety of solar energy technologies throughout the city.
"This honor recognizes our history of innovation and environmental stewardship," San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said, "through which San Jose will become the world's center of innovation in clean, green technologies like solar energy."
The news release stated that hands-on technical assistance from experts would also be available in integrating solar technologies, streamlining local regulations, present solar financing options and to promote such technologies among residents and local businesses.
The DOE is investing $2.4 million out of an estimated $12.1 million budget for the 2008 fiscal year in projects aimed at making electricity from solar energy cost-competitive with conventional electricity by 2015, according to the news release.
"These Solar America Cities aim to jumpstart integration of solar power and encourage other cities across the nation to follow suit," Samuel Bodman, secretary of the DOE, said in the news release. "With the president's leadership, the Energy Department is working aggressively to make clean, abundant and affordable solar energy the norm."
Reed said San Jose would use new technologies to reduce its own operating and maintenance costs implemented in San Jose's Green Vision - a 15-year plan of environmental protection and economic development.
The plan envisions creating 25,000 clean-tech jobs, installing 100,000 solar roofs, reducing per capita electricity-use by half, moving to 100 percent renewable energy and installing solar roofs on city buildings and retrofitting facilities to save municipal costs.
San Jose is also expected to receive $200,000 from the Department of Energy to integrate a variety of solar-energy technologies throughout the city, according to the news release.
According to the Department of Energy Web site, $4 million in funding will be available to American universities for research and development of cost-effective, environmentally friendly technologies.
"The main thing that the city is doing is using the resources we received from the federal government to work throughout the San Jose community, business, manufacturing and residents," said Michelle McGurk, a public information officer for the city, "to develop financing incentive strategies to coordinate an outreach throughout San Jose and to move closer to our goal of 100,000 solar roofs."
McGurk said there were 154 distinctive projects to help develop 10 Green Vision goals in San Jose and that "there may be some for San Jose State down the road."
The city of San Jose was announced as a Solar America City by the United States Department of Energy on March 28 and will receive extra funding for its dedication to implementing solar technologies, according to a news release issued by the department. It is one of the 12 cities in the country to receive $200,000 to integrate a variety of solar energy technologies throughout the city.
"This honor recognizes our history of innovation and environmental stewardship," San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said, "through which San Jose will become the world's center of innovation in clean, green technologies like solar energy."
The news release stated that hands-on technical assistance from experts would also be available in integrating solar technologies, streamlining local regulations, present solar financing options and to promote such technologies among residents and local businesses.
The DOE is investing $2.4 million out of an estimated $12.1 million budget for the 2008 fiscal year in projects aimed at making electricity from solar energy cost-competitive with conventional electricity by 2015, according to the news release.
"These Solar America Cities aim to jumpstart integration of solar power and encourage other cities across the nation to follow suit," Samuel Bodman, secretary of the DOE, said in the news release. "With the president's leadership, the Energy Department is working aggressively to make clean, abundant and affordable solar energy the norm."
Reed said San Jose would use new technologies to reduce its own operating and maintenance costs implemented in San Jose's Green Vision - a 15-year plan of environmental protection and economic development.
The plan envisions creating 25,000 clean-tech jobs, installing 100,000 solar roofs, reducing per capita electricity-use by half, moving to 100 percent renewable energy and installing solar roofs on city buildings and retrofitting facilities to save municipal costs.
San Jose is also expected to receive $200,000 from the Department of Energy to integrate a variety of solar-energy technologies throughout the city, according to the news release.
According to the Department of Energy Web site, $4 million in funding will be available to American universities for research and development of cost-effective, environmentally friendly technologies.
"The main thing that the city is doing is using the resources we received from the federal government to work throughout the San Jose community, business, manufacturing and residents," said Michelle McGurk, a public information officer for the city, "to develop financing incentive strategies to coordinate an outreach throughout San Jose and to move closer to our goal of 100,000 solar roofs."
McGurk said there were 154 distinctive projects to help develop 10 Green Vision goals in San Jose and that "there may be some for San Jose State down the road."
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