NEW ORLEANS, LA - After meeting with a major solar system manufacturer last week, Mayor Ray Nagin said he would like to harness the sun to heat and cool public buildings in New Orleans. "The mayor is in support of solar opportunities in our city especially as we rebuild our facilities and neighborhoods," Nagin spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett said in an e-mail. "The mayor would like to see a pilot project of solar panels on public facilities." Few details are available on the effort, such as whether existing public buildings would be retrofitted with solar panels or whether the mayor envisions solar panels being used exclusively for new buildings.
Last week, Nagin met with a representative of Sharp Electronics Corp. , the nation's largest manufacturer of solar energy systems, to discuss opportunities in New Orleans. Ron Kenedi, vice president of Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group in Huntington Beach, Calif., said that Nagin asked his advice on how to set the city on a path to using solar energy.
Kenedi said he suggested that Nagin promote the tax incentive programs for installing solar panels, train more people in how to install solar panels, and lead by example by powering some public buildings off of solar energy. "He's very into solarizing the city as much as possible," Kenedi said.
Nagin promised to send email Sharp a list of public buildings, Kenedi said, and Sharp agreed to check out the locations of the buildings on Google Earth and recommend the best candidates for solar installations. "We'll show them which buildings would have good solar access," Kenedi said.
If a pilot program were to move forward, the city would need to request proposals from solar providers. "Sharp's not getting anything out of this deal except for offering some goodwill to the city," Kenedi said.
Last year, Sharp donated ten solar systems to the Holy Cross neighborhood that were installed by the company's top solar installers, who were visiting New Orleans on an incentive trip. Kenedi said the "Sola in NOLA" effort was such a success for his company, it would like to expand its presence in the city.
With the opportunity created by the rebuilding and Louisiana's solar tax credit program, Kenedi said his company will suggest that its national network of contractors take a look at the city. To push the effort, Kenedi said he spoke with Nagin about doing a large solar installation training program in the city in the next two to six months to create a network of knowledgeable contractors. "We would like to come here and do a very large training program," Kenedi said.
John McGowan, the city's new energy director, said he was not in on the meetings, but believes the effort would focus on new buildings. Shelley Midura, chairwoman of the City Council utility committee, said she also wasn't aware of the meeting, but Nagin's discussions with Sharp Solar fit with her hope that New Orleans can use the rebuilding efforts as an opportunity to build a green technology industry in the city.
The proposed Energy Smart energy-efficiency program, which contains a provision to help about 500 people get loans to pay for the cost of adding solar energy installations to their homes, comes for a vote before the full City Council on Thursday. "I'm glad to hear it," Midura said of Nagin's interest in a pilot program. "This is exactly why we have those 500 homes as one small component of the Energy Smart proposal, so that we bring in economic development."
Source: Times Picayune