The Environment California Research & Policy Center, a statewide citizen-based advocacy organization, recently named San Diego top in the state for solar rooftop installations, announced Mayor Jerry Sanders at a press conference on Jan. 24. According to the organization’s California Solar Cities 2012 report — which measured the number of grid-connected solar electric systems and the systems’ total electric generation capacity — San Diego is at the forefront of California’s thriving solar market with 4,500 solar installations on residential, commercial and government buildings with the capacity to generate 37 megawatts of electricity at peak output. “San Diego didn’t become the state’s No. 1 solar city by happenstance. It was the result of local policies and programs that encourage investment in solar power,” said Sanders. “It’s good for our environment, it’s good for our reputation as a city that embraces innovation, and it’s been great for our economy.” One such program, the California Solar Initiative, is a solar rebate program that drives solar power into the residential market. According to the report, San Diego is home to the only solar rebate of its kind that is jointly administered by a nonprofit organization, California Center for Sustainable Energy, and the local utility company, San Diego Gas & Electric. In addition to encouraging solar investment through local programs and policies, San Diego-based businesses are also driving the success of the local solar market through innovative designs in the photovoltaic structures themselves. Desmond Wheatley, president and CEO of Envision Solar, emphasized the importance of making renewable energy appealing to a broader audience through sound design, as well as educating the local population about the benefits of solar. The local company has been at the forefront of San Diego’s solar growth since its founding by environmental architect Robert Noble in 2006. The company’s key product, the Solar Tree, is a patented photovoltaic shade structure designed to meet a variety of applications — from shading vehicles from the sun, producing energy and advancing the infrastructure for electric vehicles — all in aesthetically appealing iconic designs. The Solar Tree arrays, or Solar Groves, have been planted throughout the city at locations like UCSD’s Gilman and Hopkins parking structures, Kyocera’s employee parking lot, and, most recently, SDG&E’s Energy Innovation Center in Clairemont, which utilizes Envision Solar’s latest EnvisionTrak model, which silently tracks the sun throughout the day to capture even more of the sun’s energy. “We like to think we are reforesting San Diego,” Wheatley said. Although San Diego is a city that enjoys a nice climate, Wheatley said San Diego’s top ranking can be attributed to more than the weather. “The greatest impediment to solar is education. The simple fact of the matter is that a lot of people don’t fully understand the benefits of solar installation,” Wheatley said. “In general, the population in San Diego is pretty well clued in to solar,” he said. “The mayor cares about it, the City Council cares about it and the local population cares about it. When people care about these things, it makes it more likely that we’re going to get these things deployed.”