March 25, 2003 -- Cooperative Community Energy (CCEnergy) has entered into an agreement with the City of Sebastopol to install 1 Megawatt of solar power within city limits over the next two years through a program called Solar Sebastopol.

Solar Sebastopol will make the purchase and installation of solar equipment easy and affordable for residential, commercial, and municipal customers. CCEnergy will promote, implement, and administer the Solar Sebastopol program by conducting ongoing outreach and education activities, arranging multiple financing options, cultivating a network of qualified local solar designers and installer/contractors, and facilitating bulk purchasing of solar equipment at discount prices.

"I am thrilled with this partnership," City of Sebastopol Mayor Craig Litwin says. "I want to see as many solar panels on as many roofs as possible and with this partnership we can make it happen. This will help Sebastopol become a more sustainable place."

CCEnergy is a San Rafael-based solar energy cooperative that purchases solar equipment at volume discounts, connects solar purchasers to qualified contractors, and provides complete project management services for solar installations.

"Solar Sebastopol is an extension of the cooperative model that CCEnergy has developed to help people to help themselves. It’s nice to see a community as a whole embrace solar energy. We want to facilitate making this dream come true," says CCEnergy co-founder and president Daniel Pellegrini.

"CCEnergy's goal is to grow and help mature the solar energy market. That means not only making solar energy easy and understandable to consumers but also -- and equally importantly -- helping installers grow their businesses to engender a wholly sustainable solar industry. We want solar to become as common on rooftops as skylights."

Sebastopol’s agreement with CCEnergy is the culmination of a feasibility study conducted in 2002 by Sonoma State University Energy Management Design Program students at a time of steep utility rate increases. Students mapped and rated properties within city limits and assessed the city’s ability to secure bulk financing to determine Sebastopol’s overall solar energy potential. The Sebastopol City Council endorsed the study’s conclusions and began seeking a consulting partnership to implement a citywide solar energy program.

"The city is taking the long term view that energy prices will continue to go up and that over time, solar energy will continue to be increasingly cost effective," says Dave Brennan, Sebastopol City Manager and Solar Sebastopol program manager.

Solar energy systems pay for themselves over time through the utility savings realized by self-producing electricity. The California Energy Commission’s Emerging Technologies Buydown Program accelerates this "breakeven point" by rebating up to 50 percent of solar energy systems’ installed costs. Additionally, the Solar Sebastopol program will offer project financing to make the solar energy investment decision as financially compelling and simple as possible. "People can’t just look at the initial cost," Brennan notes. "Investment in solar is investing in an appreciating asset rather than a depreciating one."

CCEnergy’s services are immediately available to all property owners in and around Sebastopol. Additionally, the Solar Sebastopol program will focus on a few showcase projects to install large-scale solar photovoltaic systems on highly visible municipal or commercial buildings in order to stimulate community interest.

"The main motivation is to stop using the depletable resources that we are going to war over. This is such an easy, logical solution," observes Marty Roberts, one of the original Solar Sebastopol committee members. "I want to encourage everyone to look into solar for their own homes."

CCEnergy is uniquely qualified to run the Solar Sebastopol program. "As a member benefit organization, our mission is to provide those benefits to our membership, as opposed to maximizing profits for investors who do not purchase and install PV systems," he explains. "Since our members are the shareholders, our goals are exactly aligned."

About Cooperative Community Energy

Cooperative Community Energy (CCEnergy) is a California cooperative for purchasing solar energy equipment. CCEnergy has its main office in San Rafael and branch offices throughout California. CCEnergy aggregates buying power to residential, commercial, and municipal members who want to generate clean safe energy at reasonable prices. As a cooperative, CCEnergy is working to foster growth and benefit to all segments of the solar market. For member buyers, CCEnergy makes the purchase of renewable energy easy, affordable, and rewarding. For member contractors, CCEnergy delivers the benefits of professional marketing and project management services, allowing them to concentrate on their core expertise in design and installation services.

For more information, contact Dan Pellegrini at 1-877-228-8700 or Brent Eubanks at 707-523-1479, or see www.ccenergy.com.