Solar Forward is excited to announce that its first partnered region for a Solar Forward outreach campaign this year will be the town of Crestone and the surrounding Baca-area. Solar Energy International (SEI) has partnered with the locally-based Crestone-Baca Resiliency Energy Group, who will oversee a Solar Forward outreach campaign aimed at kickstarting a solar market, with SEI providing technical consulting along the way.
This partnership will support SEI’ s mission of a world powered by renewable energy and further Crestone-Baca Resiliency Energy Group’s vision of “implementing our community’s dynamic vision of resiliency by 2022, with specific goals in the areas of Energy, Water, Food, Governance, Community Development, Affordable Housing, and Paradigm Shift.”
The Town of Crestone and surrounding areas will present an exciting opportunity for the program. Nestled beneath the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, this community has been seeking solutions for years on how to make their town more resilient in light of natural disaster due to its geographically-isolated nature. The Crestone-Baca Resiliency Energy group believes solar energy is an integral part of that solution.
Solar energy helps rural communities with both economic and grid-resiliency. Interests from this particular region include creating local solar jobs and the education and incorporation of battery technology.
“The Solar Forward program is uniquely focused on the challenges faced by rural communities,” Program Manager Mary Marshall said. “We are so excited to partner with Crestone/Baca. We’re already having conversations about how to adapt our resources to fit the needs of the region.”
As usual, the Solar Forward program will leverage SEI’s technical expertise to help local program coordinators launch on-the-ground outreach campaigns to grow a solar market. Assistance includes tools related to marketing, education, financing and more, along with access to free SEI training.
Solar Forward plans to partner with even more communities in 2020 in addition to Crestone. For more information, contact Program Manager Mary Marshall at mary@solarenergy.org or visit https://www.solarenergy.org/solar-forward/.
