In April 2008, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to
$2,400,000 in funding to 12 cities across the country for the
development of solar power projects. The DOE’s Solar America
Cities were chosen for their commitment and comprehensive
approach to the deployment of solar technologies and the
development of sustainable solar infrastructures. These projects
further President Bush’s Solar America Initiative (SAI), which
aims to make electricity from solar photovoltaics cost-
competitive with conventional electricity by 2015. The Solar
America Cities—Denver; Houston; Knoxville, Tenn.; Milwaukee;
Minneapolis/St. Paul; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Sacramento,
Calif.; San Antonio; San Jose, Calif.; Santa Rosa, Calif.; and
Seattle—will each receive $200,000 from the DOE to integrate a
variety of solar energy technologies throughout the city. In
addition to investing up to $2.4 million, the DOE also will
provide hands-on assistance from technical experts to help
cities integrate solar technologies into energy