California Center for Sustainable Energy

TV news crews and newspaper journalists gathered at San Diego’s Environmental Services offices in Kearny Mesa on July 16 as Mayor Jerry Sanders announced a report ranking San Diego as the number one solar city in California.

Bernadette Del Chiaro of the nonprofit organization Environment California, authors of the report, said there are three major contributors to the city’s solar success story: lots of sunshine, fast-track permitting for solar projects and the programs and efforts of CCSE. Joining in the press conference were CCSE’s Director of Programs Andrew McAllister, CH2M Hill Project Manager Kevin Murphy, CleanTECH San Diego President Lisa Bicker and Daniel Sullivan, owner of Sullivan Solar Power.

During the press conference, Murphy introduced a new, interactive solar mapping website for San Diego County developed as a cooperative project of the City of San Diego, CH2M Hill and CCSE. The website enables users to view the locations of thousands of solar power and solar water heating systems installed in the region and will ultimately allow users to estimate the potential size and cost of solar equipment on their home. Funding for the map came from the Department of Energy’s Solar America Cities program and the California Solar Initiative ( CSI) through the California Public Utilities Commission.

"The map is an important tool for San Diegans because it shows the widespread adoption of solar technologies and will inform and encourage others to invest in systems themselves," said CCSE Executive Director Irene Stillings. "When they are ready to plan a solar electric or water heating system, CCSE can assist with rebates, workshops, technical advice and information about financing options and qualified installers."

The CH2M Hill development team took the lead on the graphic and user interface, back-end programming to integrate solar installation information into the Google Map platform and the interactive features of the site, including the blog and forum platform. CH2M Hill also originated many site features, including the integration of data and the use of system photos.

CCSE’s CSI team compiled the list of residential and commercial installations from rebate program databases, provided feedback and recommendations on the design and functionality of the site and developed the residential photovoltaic system analysis tool still in production. Once this tool is completed, users will be able to estimate the solar power potential for any home, including annual system output and associated financial performance information. There also will be links provided to get online resources for estimating the cost of installing a solar power system, as well as finding a solar installer and getting information on financing options, tax incentives, rebate programs and other topics. See the San Diego Solar Map.

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