A University of Tennessee-led partnership that includes TVA, KUB and the city of Knoxville is one of 22 teams nationwide awarded Rooftop Solar Challenge Grants by the U.S. Department of Energy and will receive $622,960.
DOE last week announced the winners of the competitive grants designed to promote solar power by simplifying zoning, permitting and other processes involved in solar installations.
The group will use the money to work with local officials in streamlining the permitting, planning, zoning and connection processes for solar installations across Tennessee.
The group also plans to develop a smartphone application that will simplify the application process for residents and companies interested in installing solar technology.
In addition to TVA, the city of Knoxville and KUB, the UT-led group includes Nashville, Franklin and Memphis as well as the Nashville Electric Service, Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Co-op and Memphis Light, Gas and Water. the UT initiative is one of three organizations in the Southeast to receive the awards.
“We’re very pleased that DOE chose to fund our proposal and we look forward to working with our partners in this effort to reduce the barriers to developing solar energy in Knoxville and across the state of Tennessee,” Susanna Sutherland, the city of Knoxville’s sustainability program manager, said in a statement.
Knoxville previously was selected as a DOE Solar America City and used those funds to develop measurable growth in solar technology in the Knoxville-area.
The Solar Challenge Grants are part of DOE’s SunShot Initiative, “a collaborative national effort to make solar cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade,” according to a DOE grant.
More information about the DOE Rooftop Solar Challenge Projects, including a full list of award winners and their projects, is available at the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, eere.energy.gov.
UT-based partnership awarded Solar Challenge grant is a post from: buildthesolarpanel.com
