1 Block Off the Grid’s Community Solar Initiative Expanding to 20 US Cities
When we last wrote about 1 Block Off the Grid’s(1BOG) community solar initiative in San Francisco, many of you wondered why similar programs don’t exist across the United States. Well, good news for those of you in Boston, New Orleans, Seattle, Miami, Washington, and 15 other US cities—1BOG is coming.
1BOG’s business model uses the power of community as a bargaining chip to make solar energy significantly cheaper for homeowners. In its San Francisco campaign, 1BOG negotiated up to 48% off 2 kW solar systems from the market price for its participants.
The organization’s expansion can be credited to social activism start-up Virgance, which just acquired the company. According to 1BOG co-founder Sylvia Ventura, “The portfolio of campaigns within Virgance brings a whole new dimension to what we are trying to accomplish with 1BOG. Having access to tools and expertise such as online social networks puts 1BOG right in the middle of the action, where people actually connect and communities are formed.”
And if all goes well with 1BOG’s new 20 city campaign, Virgance plans on extending it to hundreds of cities. “Virgance amplifies what we’ve accomplished in the past 3 months to the tenth power,” Ventura said.
If you want to get in on the 1BOG action, do it soon—in a 2 month period, over 180 San Francisco residents registered with 1BOG’s initial campaign. And with the rising cost of energy hitting homeowners across the country, the company’s community bargaining model looks mighty tempting.
Power to the people!
There’s a similar program in the Denver area called “Neighborhood Solar”: http://neighborlysolar.com/
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Once the fists of the powers that be, are released from the strangle-hold they have on the knowledge of super-insulations,and such products become available to the proletariat, the peons, you and me, who paid for their development!, Solar endeavors will make great sense. If the truth is ever told of the super-insulations in use in the space race and defense industries, Americans can be set free of the “Energy Crisis” for all time! A great deal of money is spent on propagandists to maintain the viability of the status quo - to protect investments already made, and to keep Uber-Rich folk in good stead! Patent Law is America’s greatest deterrent to energy self sufficiency! Guess what! China does not recognize U.S. notions of “Patent Law” nor does India! To make Solar, Wind, Wave, Hydro, Tidal and geo-thermal prospects even more sufficient, we need super insulation technologies, freed up by government force if necessary, and now! while we still have an economy to work in! Somehow, in these grand United States, super-insulation technologies have been high-jacked for Military, defense, and industrial or space travel only, forgetting or bypassing the people, the proletariat, us! and our plight! Sadly we try to solar heat in the South where sun abounds, and the humble Canadian using Straw Bale technologies as old as time itself, sits warm and comfortable in his home heated in the Canadian winter by only a big window, a tomb wall and some scraps of softwood! What the Hell happened here! Either we are superior and can prove it or we are liars, believing our own lies and destined to freeze in the dark for our sins! Did we really go to the moon? Why can’t we use that type of insulation in our homes?