Be a Solar Hero: Bring Solar Power to YOUR Town

January 21, 2009

You already know you’re a solar citizen;  how would you like to be a solar hero?

You could do what ordinary townspeople have started to do around the country:  make the case to their town government that their municipal buildings would benefit from being powered with photovoltaics.  And that benefit would extend to the entire town.

If you can get on your town’s agenda for half an hour, we’ll help you do the rest.  And you don’t have to be an expert in solar power, electrical engineering, or public finance, either;  just a citizen.

The Solar Nation Toolkit

We’ve provided you with a toolkit for making a proposal to your selectmen, or assemblymen, or councillors, or town meeting members — whatever form of town government exists where you live — in which you can introduce the concept of using solar energy to supplement the power supply for town buildings.

The toolkit contains:

1. A covering document in pdf format, Solar Power for your Town, that explains why this initiative should come from a citizen activist, what steps to take in preparing for the presentation, and what the town should do to follow up on your work.  Click here to download and read this document (http://www.solar-nation.org/pdf/solarized-towns.pdf).

2. A PowerPoint slide presentation, prepared with copious notes to help you with what might be unfamiliar issues, that you can give before town management (and your neighbors, to arouse their interest!)  Click here to download the presentation (http://www.solar-nation.org/pdf/townhallproject-shorter.ppt).

Note: The PowerPoint presentation is not meant to be a comprehensive study, complete with technical details of costs, savings, legal arguments and environmental issues.  It is meant to arouse sufficient interest from town managers and townspeople to justify such a study, leading to installation of solar assets on one or more town building.  The presentation covers:

  • Photovoltaics:  what it is, why it’s important, and what it can do for your town
  • Financial issues: typical savings, different financial models, help from state and federal government
  • A case study involving an ordinary citizen who made just such a proposal, with great success
  • Next steps
  • The rationale for taking this action now

3. A file combining the slide presentation (without animations) with an audio file of the presentation actually being given before an audience, to give you the flavor of it.  Click here to view and listen to this (http://www.solar-nation.org/2009/01/21/live-presentation-of-solar-power-for-our-town).

Organizing Your Neighbors

So there you have it.  Everything you need to be a citizen activist, except for the legwork of organizing your fellow-citizens to support the idea.  That’s something that will make all the difference in your campaign:  gathering enough signatures to get an article on the town ballot, enough voices to be heard at town meetings, enough votes to make this idea a reality in your very own town.  And that may involve:

  • Posting flyers in public places
  • Showing the slide presentation at house parties
  • Using local access media
  • Collaborating with local and regional sustainable energy/environmental/conservation groups

But you would know better than we would what will be needed.  After all, it’s your town.

Now go ahead;  be a hero.

Links to Useful Resources and References

Other links found in the covering document and slide presentation include:

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