SunShot grant award announcement

[Eric Broadbent]

I just came across this.  I'd heard that MA got SunShot funding but no specifics:

<http://www.mass.gov/eea/pr-2011/111209-pr-solar-energy-adoption-award.html>

Clearly the towns that participated in Solarize were the candidates, which makes sense.

Note that among the programs to be piloted are "alternative financing options."

(excerpt from the article)

Massachusetts Awarded $566,354 to Advance Solar Energy Adoption in Five Communities

BOSTON – Friday, December 9, 2011 – Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. today announced  a US Department of Energy (DOE) grant of $566,354 that will help five cities and towns - Boston, Cambridge, Harvard, Hatfield and Winchester - improve finance options and permitting processes for solar energy projects.

The grant, unveiled by US DOE Secretary Stephen Chu during a visit to Boston last week, will enable the five communities to pilot new programs to increase the adoption of rooftop solar installations by streamlining permitting, providing better information on interconnection practices, and developing alternative financing options. The goal of the program is to develop a model permitting process that can be adopted throughout Massachusetts and beyond, structural guidelines for building inspectors on the impact of solar photovoltaic (PV) on residential roofs, and user-friendly information on interconnection standards.