City wins solar award

The City of Sonoma has won first place in the “City Solar Awards” for watts per capita installed in 2007 among cities under 25,000 population.
The award will be presented at the Sonoma City Council meeting on March 4, recognizing Sonoma for its 129 watts per person new solar power generation, far ahead of second-place Portola Valley, at 86 watts.
The City Solar Award is sponsored by the Northern California Solar Association, an advocacy group started by young engineers and renewable energy advocates in 1975. The group has promoted the use of solar energy through its newsletter, workshops and social events. Other sponsors of the award include Sun Light & Power, Quick Mount PV, Solar Staffing, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Solar Universe Network, Energy Solutions and the Lymburn Family.
In September, NorCal Solar published the Bay Area Solar Installations report, which describes the amount of photovoltaic installations in 165 communities throughout the Bay Area. The report is based on solar incentive data from the California Energy Commission and PG&E.