By Pete Danko
Inspired by a neighborhood-based volume-purchasing program begun in Portland a few years ago, a Seattle organization is working to get home solar systems installed in the Emerald City, block by block. Solarize Seattle, a program of the nonprofit clean-energy group Northwest SEED, launched at the beginning of this year, focused on the Queen Anne neighborhood. One hundred sixty residents registered, 96 homes were evaluated and, ultimately, 30 homes had solar power systems installed, totaling 130 kilowatts (kW). For the last several months the group has been working on its second campaign, in the Magnolia neighborhood, with a goal of installing more than 200 kW of solar energy there by spring 2012.
Appeared in EarthTechling on October 18, 2011.