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14 <br /> 1 In parallel with this analysis, a team of interested residents and solar experts <br /> 2 approached Orange County about the feasibility of installing solar panels on the Rogers <br /> 3 Road Community Center for the benefit of the Rogers-Eubanks community. <br /> 4 David Caldwell, RENA <br /> 5 Ty Fenton, UnitedSolarinitiative.org, nonprofit bringing solar projects to low-income <br /> 6 communities around the world <br /> 7 Rob Pinder, NextClimate.org, nonprofit helping community solar projects in Orange <br /> 8 County <br /> 9 Laura Wenzel, private citizen in neighboring community <br /> 10 Ed Witkin, Owner of Carrboro Solar Works, LL. Also works with <br /> 11 UnitedSolarinitiative.org <br /> 12 <br /> 13 Brennan Bouma said he had been working closely with this group to assess the <br /> 14 feasibility and benefits of this project as a potential pilot solar project for Orange County. He <br /> 15 said the Rogers Road Community Center (RRCC) seemed to fit the County's list of <br /> 16 characteristics, and staff worked with the RRCC team to conduct an initial solar energy <br /> 17 assessment on this building. He said staff has employed the "PVWatts" calculator from the <br /> 18 National Renewable Energy Laboratory to assist in modeling, sizing, and prioritizing solar <br /> 19 photovoltaic infrastructure investments (j1po 11 v atts.nrelo_ ov/ v watts h <br /> 20 Rob Pender, of www.NextClimate.org, said the intent of the "Solarize" campaigns is to <br /> 21 lower the cost of rooftop photovoltaic systems through pulling together interested households <br /> 22 and commercial users into a group-purchasing deal. NextClimate, a local 501 c (3) non-profit, <br /> 23 organizes the four Solarize campaigns that are active in Orange County (Orange County, <br /> 24 Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro). <br /> 25 Rob Pender said in 2014, NextClimate brought together two solar installation companies <br /> 26 (Yes! Solar Solutions and Southern Energy Management), and two financing organizations <br /> 27 (Admiral's Bank and Self Help Credit Union) with the mission to bring affordable solar power to <br /> 28 the people of Orange County, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough. He said their efforts <br /> 29 resulted in new solar installations on 90 homes and small businesses across Orange County in <br /> 30 2014. He said in 2015, NextClimate is expanding its reach to create Solarize Research <br /> 31 Triangle, bringing solar investment and benefits to RTP workplaces. <br /> 32 <br /> 33 Rogers Road Community Solar <br /> 34 <br /> 35 • Invest in a project that will benefit the whole community <br /> 36 • Build community pride with a highly visible, future-oriented project <br /> 37 • Create an educational resource on clean energy <br /> 38 • Use clean energy, reducing air pollution from coal <br /> 39 • Expose youth to career possibilities in "green"jobs <br /> 40 <br /> 41 Potential Solar Projects <br /> 42 • Solar farm in bioretention field <br /> 43 • Solar panels on individual homes <br /> 44 • Solar electricity at community center <br /> 45 All projects depend on available financing options <br /> 46 <br /> 47 Solarize Orange County <br /> 48 • Residential focus <br /> 49 • Group discounts <br />