This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Solar power will get a leg up over the next two years, under a new grant from the U.S. Energy Department.
On Thursday, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon joined Kennecott Land Co., Rocky Mountain Power and Utah Clean Energy in announcing the Solar Salt Lake project.
The Energy Department has promised $200,000 in funding to the city and another $250,000 in technical assistance to help participants identify barriers to the use of solar energy and, later, to develop policies and programs to overcome those barriers.
More rooftop panels, utility-scale projects and water heating all could be boosted through the program. Partnering cities are expected to use the money to analyze a variety of approaches, including implementing solar-friendly permitting and zoning ordinances, financial assistance and tax credits and education programs.
Through Solar Salt Lake, proponents hope to have an additional 10,000 solar systems in the valley by 2015.
Sarah Wright, executive director of Utah Clean Energy, an advocacy group, noted that Utah's summertime demand for peak energy is growing by about 6 percent a year, which translates into the need for about one power plant every two years. Meanwhile, she pointed to one study that suggests Utah homes can generate about 5 gigawatts of energy from the sun.
"We have an excellent resource," she said. "If we just went after a fraction of that, it would be significant."
The federal department is putting $2.5 million into the 13-city initiative over the next two years. The agency's goal is to make solar energy more competitive by 2015, generating enough electricity to serve 1.25 million homes, avoid 7 million tons a year of greenhouse gasses and create 10,000 new jobs.
Other cities that have won grants under the program include Portland, Ore.; San Diego; New Orleans, and Boston.
Jason Berry, an energy specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources, said the interest in solar energy has increased dramatically over the past few years, based on the number of Utahns who apply for state tax credits. He said 343 have requested the credit since 1995 for photovoltaic units and 113 have made applications for solar hot water systems.