Washington, DC [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] The City of Austin, Texas, is one of 13 cities selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as an inaugural Solar America City. The new DOE program will provide technical and financial assistance to the cities that were chosen because of the commitment they demonstrate to a comprehensive, citywide approach to the deployment of solar technologies. As a Solar America City, and assisted by $185,000 in DOE grants, Austin Energy will assess how to establish a baseline of rooftops in its service area suitable for solar energy systems. The utility will also help assess the potential for combining wind and solar installations on the same transmission line in west Texas to deliver that energy to the population centers of Texas, including Austin. The other 12 cities selected by DOE as 2007 Solar America Cities are Ann Arbor, MI; Berkeley, CA; Boston, MA, Madison, WI; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; and Tucson, AZ.
