Resource Library

The Silicon Valley Energy Map is a tool for residents, businesses, governments, and community leaders to obtain information about energy use, solar and renewable energy, and green buildings in Santa Clara County. The map allows users to view the overall and per capita energy use in a given city or zip code, find case studies of solar, energy efficiency, and green building projects in a given community, track progress towards clean energy goals, and more.

Many municipalities, retail stores or businesses may be considering a plan for an EV station but lack experience regarding proper site design. Sustainable Transportation Strategies and NYSERDA's free 30-page online guide suggests best practices that site owners can adopt to make charging stations safe and accessible to all.

This section outlines specific strategies and actions to be taken by communities wishing to elevate and enhance solar access-related policies. A range of examples are provided to help illustrate how these strategies can be adapted to a variety of situations depending on the level of policy commitment, available staff resources and political environment.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the San Joaquin Valley Plug-in Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council (PEVCC) have identified optimal locations for public electric vehicle chargers in ten Valley cities and along the Highway 99 corridor. The analysis is based on regional transportation origin and destination data, industry expertise and other demographic information. This report has three sections: Fast Charging Infrastructure, Public Access Charging, and Workplace Charging. Each provides an overview of the type of charging, how charging locations were selected, the data sources used to conduct the siting analysis and, lastly, maps of the optimal locations to place charging stations and infrastructure.

This document compiled by the Interstate Turbine Advisory Council lists all 13 small wind turbine models that are in compliance with the Distributed Wind Energy Association’s recommended criteria as well as fully certified to AWEA standards.

The City of San Francisco and World Resources Institute implemented the "Solar@Work" program, a solar PV group purchasing model for small- and medium-sized commercial property owners in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit the source link below to access the program webpage.

An online version of the Small Wind Guidebook is available for homeowners, ranchers, and small businesses in each state to decide if wind energy will work for them and answers key questions regarding the installation process. It contains wind resource maps for each state, as well as a detailed list of financial incentives and state contacts.

This comprehensive national database contains up-to-date information about renewable energy incentives, policy, and financing across the country, including wind.

This Excel-based spreadsheet tool allows users to model the project economics of small wind energy installations, specifically in Minnesota.

Windustry's website offers a wide range of resources for wind energy for homes and farms, as well as community-scale wind projects. Their small wind page contains a basic overview of wind technologies, project planning tips, and resources to estimate costs.

This installation checklist was created by the non-profit Energy Trust of Oregon to support its Small Wind Program, which provides cash incentives to offset the cost of harnessing clean, wind-powered energy. While it is non-inclusive and does not contain items related to local codes and regulations, it can be adapted to form the basis of a more comprehensive installation checklist.

The Washington, D.C. Department of General Services Smart Roof Program employed a portfolio-based roof asset management approach to reduce its energy use by 20 percent across its entire municipal building portfolio through solar PV and solar thermal projects, green and cool roofs, daylighting, and more. The attached presentations summarize the Smart Roof program's approach and impact.

SMUD makes a map available on their website showing each of the projects being developed under their feed-in tariff program. The hyperlink below was the version as of April 2014. Visit the URL in the Source section below for more information about the program.

This is SMUD’s Feed-In Tariff Rate Procedure. Though the program is not currently active, this 16 page document has useful information on qualification criteria and how the FIT process is managed and may serve as a useful guide to other entities looking to develop a program. The SMUD website in the Source section below has additional information about the program including the rates, application form, interconnection procedures, and maps showing existing FIT projects and favorable locations for new projects.

The map provides indication of locations that are better for interconnection on the SMUD Distribution System. It is a color coded map of the SMUD service area, with colors indicating the expected capacity of the local substation to receive generation. (file size 11MB, may take a few seconds to download)

This report discusses the benefits of solar access and how Denver can maximize opportunities for harnessing the sun’s energy through a set of solar access ordinances and enforcement guidelines to aid property owners in their efforts to install solar energy systems, as well as protect the investment of individual property owners. This document is relevant to cities and counties across the country.

The following link contains a list of local and state-level rules and regulations pertaining to solar and wind energy access, as well as easements and installation rights for such systems.

This brief discusses some of the revenue generation mechanisms associated with solar development and provides examples of how local governments have leveraged them to their fiscal benefit.

This factsheet provides a background on crowdfunding, an innovative financing model which has rapidly become a popular method used by startup organizations to raise capital, and details how it could drastically reduce financing costs for solar PV projects in the U.S.

This 18 page report from the EPA details an objective process by which to thoroughly vet sites for PV potential. While the decision tree focuses on potentially contaminated sites, this tool also provides information on rooftop and other applications in order to support complimentary evaluations. These decision trees can be used to screen individual sites for their solar or wind potential or for a community-scale evaluation of multiple sites.

The purpose of this section of the Guide is to provide brief, user-friendly descriptions of regionally-appropriate tools that a regional planning organization can utilize to promote solar energy deployment. The toolkit is meant to be used along with the rest of the publication, but is a one-stop-shop for those looking for regional approaches to solar implementation.

Fact sheet which debunks seven misconceptions about solar energy.

As a part of its energy programs, the San Francisco Department of the Environment's website contains information about solar energy financing options for local residents and businesses, including overviews of PPAs, group purchasing options, and links to available incentives. Jurisdictions can adopt a similar format and post information about clean energy financing options on their website in an easy-to-access location.

The South Carolina Energy Office has developed sample language HOAs can include in their covenants that would allow a neighborhood to be designated as ‘solar-friendly’. Communities that insert this language into their covenants will receive a ‘Solar-Friendly Community’ certificate and special recognition on the SCEO website. Visit the link in the Source section below to see the covenant language and certificate.

This 1 page worksheet contains an 8 item checklist of elements that should be considered in the design of new subdivisions to ensure the lots will be solar ready.