AIRE works with a variety of communities and organizations who are interested in organizing and hosting renewable energy systems.
Some of our first audiences have been congregations of faith. We have been very pleased with the warm reception that we have had in describing the benefits of renewable energy.
We are also excited about the great possibilities for our community institutions to take a lead in sustainable energy, produced locally, and energy independence.
Of the many decisions we talk through on a daily basis, how we intend to collaborate with other organizations is an ongoing point of discussion in the writing of our strategic plan. Many questions envelope our minds. What are our core competencies? What is our capacity for project management? What are the ways in which we can structure partnerships to be mutually beneficial from a financial standpoint… and in building a social movement? Fortunately, there are as many answers as there are questions… and our underlying task is to identify the ideal situation, for the advancement of both our own mission, and those of our funders.
Ultimately our services will largely stem from our for-profit company, as financial consultants that structure legal arrangements for community owned renewable energy. We seek to engage in partnerships with community development organizations that can conduct on-the-ground education and outreach for locally owned renewable energy projects. In partnerships such as these our job will be to provide the financing mechanism, and at times investment capital, to get these projects off the ground. Our nonprofit (AIRE), will also engage communities in education and outreach, although we seek to partner with groups that are already doing community organizing work as well.
Our business plan for expansion largely hinges on how many projects we are able to manage at any given time. Determining this is a process of speculation and assessing our experiences from ongoing demonstration projects. Undoubtedly our efficiency in facilitating project development from start to finish will rapidly increase as we create templates for each step in the process of manifesting community owned renewable energy. One piece in creating an efficient system for mass replication clearly involves building strategic, cooperative alliances. As we are learning now, there are many variables to consider in picking a winning team.
First Congregational Church outside of Asheville, NC will soon be the first group to utilize the innovative financial model we’ve been developing for the past year. After having had an initial interest meeting with them about a month ago, they’ve since been eager to move forward as being our pioneering client. This past Saturday we had a follow-up meeting with congregation leaders and our attorney to draft legal documents, including the operating agreement and articles of incorporation to create their company, First Church Solar, LLC.
As word gets out about our services we are beginning to receive requests from other churches, community groups, and municipal governments about using our financial model. As we are currently very focused on building our internal capacity, i.e. finishing an epic grant proposal, we are unable to accommodate the level interest that we are receiving from potential clients. We are, however, moving forward with one particular potential project at this time. A local shelter in Boone, NC, has been granted $25,000 to put into renewable energy at a new facility they are building. We are currently negotiating an agreement for them to use our financial model to leverage additional capital and potentially double or triple their capital pool.
By the end of 2010 we intend to have completed this particularly extensive grant process and be able to move forward with hiring key staff positions and implementing our strategic plan for community owned renewable energy. For the time being, we are juggling priorities as we negotiate new potential projects, manage existing ones, forge strategic partnerships, and determine what our revenues and expenses will be for the next 3-5 years. Although there is much to be excited about, there is still much to do, with particular regards to our cash-flow projections to be put into our business plan. We have the vision, now it’s time to build our budget, and make it a reality.
For coverage of the event visit this Warren Wilson Blog, HERE.
If you’re curious about the community driven solar opportunity’s that exists for a renewable energy minded citizen or are wondering how different community developed solar models compare, have a look at the new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Community Solar Power: Obstacles and Opportunities.
Here’s a brief summary of the report from ILSR’s website:
A new report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Community Solar Power: Obstacles and Opportunities, examines nine community solar projects, the policies that made them possible, and the (substantial) barriers that remain. Successful community solar power projects in Colorado, Maryland, and North Carolina are knocking down the price of residential-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) by 25% and giving opportunities to renters and people with shady roofs a chance to go solar. While ILSR’s report found some successful community solar business models, there are others that lead to little or no ownership and others that defy easy duplication.
John Farrell, ILSR senior researcher and the report author’s had this to say about the findings:
“Some community solar business models were nothing more than typical utility green pricing programs, where do-gooders pay more for green power without any return on their investment,” said ILSR senior researcher and report author John Farrell . “But we did find that some community solar projects can offer an affordable way to get your electricity from solar power while retaining a long-term ownership interest similar to having your own rooftop modules,” he added.
You can read an expanded summary of the report HERE or download the full report as a PDF document HERE.
Solar Power Comes to West Virginia
West Virginia’s Solar Powered Dilemma
Grist has been following this negative development. Here’s a taste of Grist’s post on this development:
“On Tuesday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ended their radio silence nine weeks after sending cryptic letters warning lenders against permitting the use of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) — but it wasn’t the follow-up PACE advocates were hoping for.
FHFA’s letter amounts to a middle finger to PACE, which has drawn excitement from clean-energy advocates, home-improvement contractors, and homeowners who want to use the system to pay for projects like rooftop solar arrays and retrofits that cut energy waste.
The agency is arguing that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, saving homeowners money on utility bills, and creating local jobs working on homes are not “traditional community benefits.” It’s making another argument too: That it should get to decide what projects have local-community benefits.”
For those interested in sustainability and Appalachia, have a look at Solutions special Appalachia issue. Here’s what the Folks at Solutions Journal have to say about the issue:
Together with a dynamic group of academics, business leaders, and activists—each living and working in Appalachia—Solutions will present a special issue dedicated to creating a brighter future for Appalachia. Appalachia is a special place—one of the most biologically diverse and culturally rich regions on the planet. But it is only one of several regions in the United States with an economy dependent on fossil energy production and where the people fear they will suffer when America makes its necessary transition to a low-carbon economy. The challenge in each of these regions will be to make the transition as deliberately and thoughtfully as possible. Central Appalachia has the potential to become a national model of the positive transition to America’s clean energy future. Our members will receive $5.00 off the low subscription rate that keeps Solutions going.
Read it online now!
Check out the coverage of AIRE in the latest issue of the Appalachian Voice, pages 11 and 14. You can find it “on the newsstand” or online at:
This from NOW on PBS…Home to a worldwide summit on climate change in early December, Denmark is setting a global example in creating clean power, storing it, and using it responsibly. Their reliance on wind power to produce electricity without contributing to global warming is well known, but now they’re looking to drive the point home with electric cars.
See the segment on NOW’s website