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Northwest SEED Publications

The Solarize Guidebook: A community guide to collective purchasing of residential PV systems (Version 2.0) Authored by Northwest SEED, May 2012 DOWNLOAD HERE This guidebook is intended as a road map for project planners and solar advocates who want to convert "interest" into "action," to break through market barriers and permanently transform the market for residential solar installations in their communities. It describes the key elements of the Solarize campaigns in Portland, and offers several program refinements from projects beyond Portland. The guidebook provides lessons, considerations, and step-by-step plans for project organizers to replicate the success of Solarize Portland. The Solarize Guidebook was prepared for and funded by the Department of Energy, under the SunShot initiative.
A Guide to Community Shared Solar: Utility, Private, and Nonprofit Project Development (Version 2.0) Authored by Northwest SEED, May 2012 DOWNLOAD HERE This guide is a resource for those who want to develop community shared solar projects, from community organizers or solar energy advocates to government officials or utility managers. By exploring the range of incentives and policies while providing examples of operational community shared solar projects, this guide will help communities plan and implement successful energy projects. In addition, by highlighting some policy best practices, this guide suggests changes in the regulatory landscape that could significantly boost community shared solar installations across the nation.
The Solarize Guidebook: A community guide to collective purchasing of residential PV systems Authored by Northwest SEED, January 2011 DOWNLOAD HERE The Solarize Guidebook captures the essence of the first neighborhood campaigns in Portland and reviews numerous variations that have emulated the Solarize model, from Pendleton to Salem to San Jose. The guide outlines the steps for launching a successful campaign, leveraging local grassroots groups and institutional technical support to produce market transforming results. The Solarize Guidebook was prepared for and funded by the Department of Energy, under the Solar America Communities program.
A Guide to Community Solar: Utility, Private, and Non-profit Project Development Authored by Northwest SEED, January 2011 DOWNLOAD HERE This guide is designed as a resource for those who want to develop community solar projects, from community organizers or solar energy advocates to government officials or utility managers. By exploring the range of incentives and policies while providing examples of operational community solar projects, this guide will help communities to plan and implement successful local energy projects. A Guide to Community Solar: Utility, Private and Non-profit Project Development was developed for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory by Northwest SEED, Keyes and Fox, Stoel Rives, and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. This guide builds on the research and writing from the Northwest Community Solar Guide, published by Northwest SEED and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
The Northwest Community Solar Guide Authored by Northwest SEED, October 2009 DOWNLOAD HERE Developed in partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, The Northwest Community Solar Guide offers an in-depth look into the various forms of community solar projects. It explores the Community Solar movement and concepts; the financial and political restraints and opportunities; and a practical look at organizing and establishing a business model.

Additional Publications

U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011 Authored by Larry Sherwood (Interstate Renewable Energy Council), August 2012 DOWNLOAD HERE Falling photovoltaic prices, strong consumer demand, and financial incentives from the federal government, states and utilities meant that twice as much photovoltaic solar was installed in 2011 as was installed in 2010. This annual report compiles and analyzes public data on U.S. solar installations by technology, state, and market sector for 2011. It covers solar technologies that produce electricity, including photovoltaics and concentrating solar power.
U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2011 Year in Review Authored by Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research, March 2012 DOWNLOAD HERE Each quarter, GTM Research gathers a complete account of industry trends in the U.S. photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) markets via comprehensive surveys of installers, manufacturers, utilities and state agencies. Annually, they supplement their PV and CSP analysis with coverage of the latest in the solar hot & cooling (SHC) and solar pool heating (SPH) markets. The result is the most relevant industry data and dynamic market analysis available.
Peer Effects in the Diffusion of Solar Photovoltaic Panels Authored by Bryan Bollinger (NYU Stern School of Business) and Kenneth Gillingham (Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies), December 2011 DOWNLOAD HERE This study looks at the diffusion of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels in California, using residential solar installation data from January 2001 to June 2011. The authors find evidence of a causal peer effect in which a one percent increase in the zip code installed base leads to just over a one percent increase in the adoption rate. At the street level, the contagion effect is even stronger. The study found that on an average California street with at least one solar installation, a one percent increase in the street’s installed base leads to a more than nine percent increase in the street-level adoption rate.
Tracking the Sun IV: An Historical Summary of the Installed Cost of Photovoltaics in the United States from 1998-2010 Authored by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, September 2011 DOWNLOAD HERE As the deployment of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has increased, so too has the desire to track the installed cost of these systems over time and by location, customer type, system characteristics, and component. This report helps to fill this need by summarizing trends in the installed cost of grid-connected PV systems in the United States from 1998 through 2010, with preliminary data for 2011, and includes, for the first time, installed cost trends for utility-sector PV. The analysis is based on installed cost data for approximately 116,500 behind-the-meter (i.e., residential and commercial) and utility-sector PV systems, totaling 1,685 megawatts (MW) and representing 79% of all grid-connected PV capacity installed in the United States through 2010.
An Analysis of the Effects of Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems on Home Sales Prices in California Authored by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, April 2011 DOWNLOAD HERE California homes with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems sell for a premium over homes without solar systems, according to a new Berkeley Lab study. The Berkeley Lab research is the first to empirically explore the existence and magnitude of residential PV sales price impacts across a large number of homes and over a wide geographic area. The research analyzed a dataset of more than 72,000 California homes that sold from 2000 through mid-2009, approximately 2,000 of which had a PV system at the time of sale. Home prices are boosted by approximately $3.90 to $6.40 per watt of installed PV. This corresponds to an average home sales price premium of approximately $17,000 for a relatively new 3,100 watt PV system (the average size of PV systems in the Berkeley Lab dataset), and compares to an average investment that homeowners have made to install PV systems in California of approximately $5/W over the 2001-2009 period.
U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2010 Year in Review Authored by Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research, March 2011 DOWNLOAD HERE Each quarter, GTM Research gathers a complete account of industry trends in the U.S. photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) markets via comprehensive surveys of installers, manufacturers, utilities and state agencies. Annually, they supplement their PV and CSP analysis with coverage of the latest in the solar hot & cooling (SHC) and solar pool heating (SPH) markets. The result is the most relevant industry data and dynamic market analysis available.
Evaluation of Energy Trust of Oregon's Solar Programs: Solarize SE Southeast Portland and Solar Energy Review Authored by the Cadmus Group, November 2010 DOWNLOAD HERE Energy Trust of Oregon (Energy Trust) undertook this study to gauge the effectiveness of and participant satisfaction with two of its major solar efforts in 2009 and early 2010: Solarize SE Portland (Solarize SE) and Solar Energy Reviews (SER). Both these programs are designed to accelerate decision making and to minimize barriers to adoption of solar energy systems in homes. In particular, both programs strive to shorten the typical 2+ year solar installation decision-making process.
Guide to Installing a Solar Electric System Authored by Seattle City Light, August 2009 DOWNLOAD HERE This guide is designed to provide Seattle City Light customers with information on grid-connected solar electric systems. It provides background on solar electric systems, the components required, and outlines the steps to take if you want to install and interconnect a system to the utility grid.
Certified Home Performance: Assessing the Market Impacts of Third Party Certification on Residential Properties Authored by Ann Griffin (Earth Advantage Institute), May 2009 DOWNLOAD HERE The report presents an analysis of the market performance of third-party certified sustainable residential properties in the Portland and Seattle metropolitan areas. In each location, a sample of third-party certified homes was selected and comparable homes were found. The author documents that certified homes in the Seattle metro area sold at a price premium of 9.6% when compared to noncertified counterparts. In the Portland metro area, certified homes sold at a price premium ranging between 3% and 5%. In addition, the certified homes stayed on the market for 18 days less than noncertified homes.

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Progress in NW Seattle: 625.4

What your neighbors are saying: "Solarize Queen Anne was one of the best run programs I've seen."

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Solarize Seattle by Northwest SEED is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at solarizeseattle.org.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at nwseed.org.

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