Resource Library

New Mexico HB181 and SB190 clarify that third-party owned solar and other renewable energy systems are legal in the state. These documents provide model language for states that are interested in proposing legislation that authorizes third-party ownership for solar energy systems. The first hyperlink displays a brief synoposis (2 paragraphs) summarizing the bills. The second hyperlink displays the full text of HB181 (6 pages). The text of the two bills is the same.

Electricity storage represents something of a new frontier for state regulators. This paper reviews the current situation for energy storage and explores state regulatory and other policy options, for enabling storage to play a larger role in electricity service provision when and where storage options are cost-effective. It identifies best practices for state public utility regulations and associated policies that can best reduce or remove any unintended barriers facing cost-effective electricity storage technologies.

This resource provides a step-by-step solar community outreach template that can be used by solar advocates and communities to plan, research, find a venue, select a host, line up speakers, and market a Solar Town Hall Meeting to the general public. Visit the source link below to access the program website.

This paper provides recommendations and references so that practitioners can design streamlined procedures for EVSE permitting and inspection in their jurisdiction. It also identifies additional informational resources.

San Francisco's Better Streets Plan creates a unified set of standards, guidelines, and implementation strategies to govern how the City designs, builds, and maintains its pedestrian environment, carrying out the intent of the Better Streets Policy that was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2006. It promotes a balance between all the functions of a street, and puts people and quality of place first. This specific chapter is concerned with pedestrian-oriented guidelines for curb lines, crosswalks and other street design features to enhance pedestrian safety and comfortand enable generous, usable public spaces.

This toolkit document includes a one-page list of structural criteria for over-the-counter or online solar permitting approval, as well as attached tables and figures that supplement the criteria and explain their use.

This resource is a 3-page template for solar PV permit application submittal requirements for qualifying projects under 10kW. It contains subsections for approval requirements, submittal requirements, plan review, fees, inspection, and contact information. The template can be easily customized by an AHJ by filling in the blanks where indicated.

For unemployed, underemployed, and low-income people, simply sustaining their families can be time-consuming and frustrating. Read stories about programs that have been designed and implemented for low-income and unemployed workers to provide access to job training, education for high-growth industries, and college credit for their life and work experience.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council released an updated report of model rules to highlight best practices in state net-metering policy

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council released the document "Net Metering Model Rules" in 2009 to highlight best practices in net metering. Information on system capacity limits is highlighted on page 2.

CalEPA publishes annual enforcement reports with summary enforcement data and provides links on its website to databases of enforcement actions pertaining to air quality, hazardous waste, carcinogens, pesticides, and water quality issues. It does not provide this information in a single easy-to-access interface, but local governments can draw upon the databases listed here to compile summary information about issues within their locality.

A Sun Number score represents the solar suitability of a building’s rooftop on a scale from 1 to 100, with 100 being the ideal rooftop for solar. Scores can be accessed by entering a valid address in a region where the analysis has been completed. The Sun Number score is created from aerial imagery that is processed with proprietary algorithms to accurately analyze individual rooftops. Factors in the analysis include roof shape, surrounding buildings and vegetation, atmospheric conditions, and solar incentives and cost in the region.

The City of Sunnyvale has a solar access ordinance which is intended to preserve the ability of residents to add functional solar panels to their roof. No building permit shall be issued for any construction which would interfere with solar access to the rooftop of any structure or to any preexisting active solar collector on nearby property. Guidelines are in place for the shadow analysis, which requires only a scale and a protractor. The first hyperlink below contains the bill text (length: 1 paragraph). The second hyperlink contains the shadow analysis guide with step by step illustrations (length: 7 pages).

The Sustainable DC Plan is the District’s first sustainability plan that lays out a path forward to make the District the healthiest, greenest, most livable city in the nation over the next 20 years. It is organized into four core challenge areas-- Jobs and the Economy; Health and Wellness; Equity and Diversity; and Climate and the Environment-- and addresses solutions and their specific implementation strategies related to each area.

The State of California's 2003 General Plan Guideline addresses the incorporation of environmental justice into the general plan. While environmental justice is not a mandatory topic in the general plan, there is a strong case for its inclusion. Federal and state anti-discrimination statutes, which have a long history, apply to planning as they do to other policy areas. Because environmental justice issues are often related to failures in land use planning, planning policies that promote livable communities and smart growth can be tools for achieving environmental justice.

Operations and maintenance (O&M) includes all aspects of running a building over the course of its useful life. Because of the far-reaching nature of O&M, a well-designed and properly executed program is critical to the overall success of a sustainably-designed facility. This resource sets out the basic requirements of such a program, describes its applications, and references relevant codes and standards.

Operations and maintenance (O&M) includes all aspects of running a building over the course of its useful life. Because of the far-reaching nature of O&M, a well-designed and properly executed program is critical to the overall success of a sustainably-designed facility. This resource sets out the basic requirements of such a program, describes its applications, and references relevant codes and standards.

The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and recognize purchasing leadership that accelerates the transition to a prosperous and sustainable future. The Rating System, which will be developed in 2015 with data generated by the Guidance program’s metrics, will empower institutional purchasers to receive third party recognition for achieving levels of performance that represent genuine leadership. The Council’s Guidance and Rating System are intended to serve institutional purchasers similar to how the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program has served the building design and construction community.

The National Capital Planning Commission accepted the SW Ecodistrict Plan in January 2013 and the plan's Addendum in September 2014. The plan is a comprehensive and forward looking approach to transform an isolated federal precinct in the nation's capital into a highly sustainable workplace and livable neighborhood. NCPC developed a plan detailing assumptions and technical information that influenced the plan, and also provides additional guidance on general development principles created through recent planning work.

This reference table is designed to help compare a property's energy use to the national median (or mid-point) energy use of similar properties. Benchmarking your building using a single use type will most closely approximate how a building would have been recorded in the reference data survey, and therefore yield the most accurate comparisons to median performance.

The Energy-Efficient Buildings: Heating and Cooling Equipment Roadmap sets out a detailed pathway for the evolution and deployment of energy-efficient heating and cooling technologies, including deployment goals and cost reduction goals. The roadmap concludes with a set of near-term strategic and policy actions that stakeholders will need to take to achieve the roadmap’s vision.

These template applications provide model language, terms and conditions for utilities that are interested in implementing their own on-bill financing program. The first hyperlink displays the standard program application. The second hyperlink displays the program application for third-party implementors.

This template loan agreement provides model language, terms and conditions for utilities that are interested in implementing their own on-bill financing program. The first hyperlink displays the template loan agreement. The second hyperlink provides the program fact sheet for more background information.

PACE enabling legislation will vary by state, depending on existing state law. This resource surveys the basic issues surrounding PACE enabling legislation and reviews key policy components and legal considerations for policymakers when drafting legislation.

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