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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Municipal solar utilities in California: marketing, financial and legal issues

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6758489
A Municipal Solar Utility, a municipal-level organization, designed to promote the use of solar technologies within the local marketplace is discussed. Over the past 14 months, the cities of Bakersfield, Oceanside, Palo Alto, San Dimas, Santa Monica and Ukiah have worked on implementation plans to develop MSUs for their respective communities. An analysis of specific marketing, financial, and legal issues associated with the development of Municipal Solar Utilities is presented. Three service delivery packages are analyzed: (1) full service or direct model; (2) low-interest loan; and (3) facilitation or brokerage model. These models represent a variety of potential organizational and program initiatives ranging from consumer education, capitalization and financing methods, to consumer protection from liabilities of owning, installing, and leasing solar equipment. The feasibility of local-level Municipal Solar Utility programs is demonstrated and the capability of communities to successfully initiate total energy programs is addressed.
Research Organization:
Sanger (John M.) Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
6758489
Report Number(s):
P-500-80-062
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English