EcoMotion Continues for Fourth Year as Program Consultants to Solar Santa Monica

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Virginia Nicols, Corporate & Community Relations, EcoMotion

(949) 450-7153, vnicols@ecomotion.us

Irvine, CA July 27, 2010

Solar Up 400% in Santa Monica; Program Continues Under EcoMotion Guidance

Focus on Larger Commercial Projects Promises Another Banner Year

The Santa Monica City Council voted July 27, 2010 to continue Solar Santa Monica with the assistance of EcoMotion, the consulting firm that has worked with the City since the beginning of the program in 2006.

Solar Santa Monica combines saving energy through efficiency with the installation of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems on buildings throughout the City. Its thirdyear results – 533kW of projects completed and committed – bring the City’s total to 1,471 kW of solar capacity, with another 3,530 kW in the pipeline.

The program has already created measurable benefits for the City and its residents:

  • over $17 million in consumer savings over the next 25 years
  • 29 green jobs
  • 829 tons of greenhouse gas reduction annually

Still, “Our goals are ambitious,” said Susan Munves, Administrator for the City’s Energy and Green Building programs. “In order for the City to be a net zero electricity importer, we need to fulfill 103 MW of solar potential.”

Responding to cutbacks in program funding, and despite the economic slowdown that continues nationwide, EcoMotion and Solar Santa Monica’s 2010 program priorities will be to “push the pipeline” of large projects, place a new emphasis on solar thermal (hot water), continue to educate and inspire through community outreach, and, with the assistance of its Advisory Board, seek a political solution for multi-family housing owners and renters who are currently locked out of the solar equation. The Program’s Third Annual Report provides full details of the program’s accomplishments and future plans.

“Solar Santa Monica has built a foundation for long-term energy leadership in Santa Monica,” said Ted Flanigan, President of EcoMotion. “This small program, funded with only a fraction of a percent of the City’s budget, leverages billions of dollars of future benefits for the City and community. We’re proud to be a part of it.”

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EcoMotion and its principals have worked with Santa Monica on energy issues since 2002. Headquartered in Irvine, CA, the company delivers cost-effective greening solutions to cities, corporations and campuses, applying communications and technical expertise to help clients define and achieve their goals.