Solarize Cleveland Article
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NORTHEAST OHIO NEWS 8 | wwwGreenEnergyOhioorg e market dynamics of solar energy are simple. If the electricity produced by solar panels is less expensive than the electricity delivered on the utility grid, property owners install solar panels. More complicated are the many factors that go into the cost of solar energy, such as the price of equipment, installation costs, the financing terms, and most importantly, the availability of incentives. Due to changing policies in state government, the Ohio solar industry has been on a roller-coaster ride of boom and bust cycles. Solarize Cleveland is a collaborative effort by Sustainable Cleveland 2019, the World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Health Watch and Geostellar. Solarize Cleveland seeks to reduce the cost of solar installations, thereby increasing the profitability for homeowners and stabilizing the market for solar energy. e Solarize Cleveland website at http://www.solarizecleveland.com/ is at the center of the initiative, and offers homeowners an immediate assessment of the benefits of solar energy for each individual home. Homeowners from the 15 county Northeast Ohio region can register with Solarize Cleveland now. ey would begin their solar journey with a phone consultation with a Solar Guide, who will explain installation and financing options. Next, a Solar Tech creates a detailed system design based on remote sensing data tailored for the individual home. e goal is to produce solar electricity at the least cost to offset as much of the homeowner’s electric bill as possible. Next, a locally licensed contractor will visit the home to measure and inspect the roof, check for obstructions and note the electrical panel placement and conduit layout. When a final design is approved by the homeowner, a work order is signed, permits are filed, equipment ordered and installation scheduled. By automating the process of going solar and aggregating interested homeowners, Solarize Cleveland is able to greatly reduce the costs of solar installation. Many residents of Northeast Ohio will be able to save money on their utility bills almost immediately, increase the value of their homes and go solar without any out-of- pocket expenses. Ali Ahmed, a Cleveland resident and Head of Global Sustainability at Cisco Systems, piloted the process last fall. He is currently enjoying clean, more affordable electricity and encourages other residents to follow his lead. Last month, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) announced that the city of Cleveland was one of the finalists in their annual Earth Hour City Challenge e Earth Hour City Challenge recognizes cities for their initiatives to reduce their environmental impacts. Cleveland has participated in this challenge since its inception in 2012 as a part of Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a 10-year initiative to make the city “a green city on a blue lake”. According to the WWF, carbon emissions are reduced by an average of 74.5 metric tons for every person that goes solar. To put it another way, it would be like taking 15 cars off the road. If solar is adopted by many of Northeast Ohio’s homeowners’, the impact will be huge. – Erica Sopiak, GEOSTELLAR Ali Ahmed’s solar installation Solarize Cleveland Brings Affordable Solar Energy to Northeast Ohio
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Transcript of Solarize Cleveland Article
NORT
HEAS
T OH
IO N
EWS
8 | www .GreenEnergyOhio .org
The market dynamics of solar energy are simple. If the electricity produced by solar panels is less expensive than the electricity delivered on the utility grid, property owners install solar panels.
More complicated are the many factors that go into the cost of solar energy, such as the price of equipment, installation costs, the financing terms, and most importantly, the availability of incentives. Due to changing policies in state government, the Ohio solar industry has been on a roller-coaster ride of boom and bust cycles.
Solarize Cleveland is a collaborative effort by Sustainable Cleveland 2019, the World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Health Watch and Geostellar. Solarize Cleveland seeks to reduce the cost of solar installations, thereby increasing the profitability for homeowners and stabilizing the market for solar energy. The Solarize Cleveland website at http://www.solarizecleveland.com/ is at the center of the initiative, and offers homeowners an immediate assessment of the benefits of solar energy for each individual home.
Homeowners from the 15 county Northeast Ohio region can register with Solarize Cleveland now. They would begin their solar journey with a phone consultation with a Solar Guide, who will explain installation and financing options. Next, a Solar Tech creates a detailed system design based on remote sensing data tailored for the individual home. The goal is to produce solar electricity at the least cost to offset as much of the homeowner’s electric bill as possible. Next, a locally licensed contractor will visit the home to measure and inspect the roof, check for obstructions and note the electrical panel placement and conduit layout. When a final design is approved by the homeowner, a work order is signed, permits are filed, equipment ordered and installation scheduled.
By automating the process of going solar and aggregating interested homeowners, Solarize Cleveland is able to greatly reduce the costs of solar installation. Many residents of Northeast Ohio will be able to save money on their utility bills almost immediately, increase the value of their homes and go solar without any out-of-pocket expenses. Ali Ahmed, a Cleveland resident and Head of Global Sustainability at Cisco Systems, piloted the process last fall. He is currently enjoying clean, more affordable electricity and encourages other residents to follow his lead.
Last month, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) announced that the city of Cleveland was one of the finalists in their annual Earth Hour City Challenge
The Earth Hour City Challenge recognizes cities for their initiatives to reduce their environmental impacts. Cleveland has participated in this challenge since its inception in 2012 as a part of Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a 10-year initiative to make the city
“a green city on a blue lake”.
According to the WWF, carbon emissions are reduced by an average of 74.5 metric tons for every person that goes solar. To put it another way, it would be like taking 15 cars off the road. If solar is adopted by many of Northeast Ohio’s homeowners’, the impact will be huge.
– Erica Sopiak, GEOSTELLAR
Ali Ahmed’s solar installation
Solarize Cleveland Brings Affordable Solar Energy to Northeast Ohio
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