What is a Solar City ?
A solar city is an urban community that is committed to the development of sustainable energy to power its development, rather than the continuing reliance on fossil and nuclear fuels. It is a world wide movement that seeks to share knowledge and best practice on tackling some of the major issues of the early 21st century - that of climate change and peak oil.

Benefits of Solar

• Save on Electricity Costs
  solar energy will dramatically reduce your electric bill. Any excess power your solar system generates during the day will flow back to the utility grid and your meter literally spins backward! Utility companies will pay or credit you for this electricity,reducing your electric bill even further.(The matter may not be as such optimism, but you certainly will save a lot of money)
• Protect Yourself From Rising Prices
  Residential electricity prices have risen 38% since 2000. Utility companies are dependent on fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas,which are vulnerable to volatile foreign markets. When you switch to solar power,you can lock in low, predictable electricity costs for years into the future. As utility rates continue to rise, your savings will grow every year.
• Protect the Environment
  Every solar system has a significant environ-mental impact. An average sized solar system reduces CO₂emissions equivalent to the amount absorbed by 60 trees, or released by driving a car over 125,000 miles.
• Increase Your Home Value
  A recent study from the Appraisal Institute demonstrated that the selling price of homes increased by $20 for every $1 decrease in annual utility bills.

--> Founded solar cities around the world :
Sacramento

                                                 






Dezhou

Australian Solar Cities



UAE Masdar solar city



Solar City Tower


Indian Solar Cities

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Rio de Janeiro is getting ready for the Olympics and this amazing building is one of the first buildings we’ve seen designed for the 2016 Rio Olympics!
The Solar City Tower is designed by Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture &Design.

This urban waterfall “a symbol for the forces of nature.”will be built on a small island nearby the Rio de Janeiro shore line and the Solar City Tower will use sun light as the primary energy at the daytime and the Waterfall will also generate night time energy supply.Via an urban plaza located 60 meters over sea level you gain access to the building. Through the amphitheater,you reach the entrance situated on the ground floor.Organization both entrance area and amphitheater can serve as a place for social gatherings and events. The public spaces are also accessible from this point on. The cafeteria and the shop are situated beneath the waterfall.

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Masdar City is a clean-technology cluster Established in 2006, Masdar as a solar city is a commercially driven renewable energy company based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.Masdar operates through three integrated business units, complemented by an independent, research-driven, graduate-level university. The holistic approach— of merging higher education, R&D, investment and sustainable living—enables Solar city to meet the changing needs of the evolving clean energy industry. With an initial commitment of US$15 billion from the Abu Dhabi government, Masdar today is a university, a renewable energy developer, an investor and a clean tech cluster in one of the world’s most sustainable urban developments. Through these platforms, Masdar is contributing to the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, which is focused on transitioning the emirate to a knowledge-led economy.

For more : masdar city

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48 Cities to be Developed as Solar Cities in India.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy going to develop 60 cities as solar cities. So far, based on proposals received by the Government from various Sates, ‘in-principle’ approval has been given to 48 cities to be developed as solar cities in the country. Out of these, sanctions have been given to 37 cities which have engaged consultants for preparation of Master Plans.
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The Solar City program aims :

• To enable and empower Urban Local Governments to address energy challenges at City - level.
• To provide a framework and support to prepare a Master Plan including assessment of current energy situation, future demand and action plans. 
• To build capacity in the Urban Local Bodies and create awareness among all sections of civil society. 
• To involve various stakeholders in the planning process. 
• To oversee the implementation of sustainable energy options through public - private partnerships.

The program assists Urban Local Governments by providing financial assistance and technical help for:

• Preparation of a master plan for increasing renewable energy supply and energy efficiency measures in the city
• Setting-up institutional arrangements for the implementation of the master plan.
• Awareness generation and capacity building activities.
• Implementation of projects as per financial incentives under various programs of MNRE.

Source: http://www.mnre.gov.in
           http://pib.nic.in

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The Australian Government's $94 million Solar City program is a partnership between all levels of government, industry, business and local communities to trial sustainable energy solutions.
The Solar City program was launched in 2004 to showcase sustainable energy models that help consumers and retailers to monitor their energy use and use energy more wisely.
This innovative Australian Government program has been conducting trials of business models and energy solutions since 2007 to inform public policy and the Solar City program is designed to trial new sustainable models for electricity supply and use, and is being done in seven separate electricity grid-connected areas around Australia:: Adelaide, Blacktown, Townsville, Central Victoria, Alice Springs, Moreland and Perth.
These cities are shown in figure below.

The seven Solar Cities were selected because of their diverse cultural, climatic and lifestyle characteristics. Successful elements of the trials have the potential for replication around Australia.
Over the past four years, the program has been gathering data and lessons from a unique mix of solar technologies and energy-efficiency initiatives. The initiatives have included solar technologies, such as photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technologies, cost-reflective pricing, load management, smart meters, in-house displays and energy audits of large grid-connected urban sites.
With the Government’s recent announcement of its comprehensive long-term plan for tackling climate change, there is an opportunity to use the data and lessons from the trials to design and implement new complementary measures ahead of an emissions trading scheme. The results of the trials have the potential to assist governments, householders, businesses and industries to identify effective action that will minimize both emissions and costs and provide a valuable educational resource for schools, colleges and universities.



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Goals of the Solar Cities program?

• direct home energy assessments
• Installing low-emissions technologies, such as solar PV and solar hot water units, smart meters and in-home displays
• Offering cost-reflective pricing to establish appropriate price signals and reward energy efficiency
• Tailoring financing packages to encourage solar power generation
• Providing tips and information on how to reduce energy bills

Some Solar cities have also commissioned highly visible large-scale ‘iconic’ PV installations, which not only make public spaces more enjoyable for the community, but also demonstrate the ingenuity of the technologies and their benefits as sustainable alternative energy sources.
Through these practical trials across Australia, governments, industry, businesses and residents are working together to change the way we think about energy and how we use it.
After colleting  information from the Solar Cities trials:

• Consumers and businesses will understand their energy use better and be rewarded with lower energy bills for managing energy wisely
• Electricity companies will be able to gauge cost savings in servicing peak electricity demand periods and investing in infrastructure, and build new client relationships
• Industries will be able to test new sustainable energy options in a low-risk environment, strengthen their corporate citizenship and improve their market position
• Governments will be able to base future energy and climate change policy on better information about the environmental and economic costs and benefits of the various energy options
• Teachers and students will have access to real-world trials, working technologies and hard data to deepen their understanding of the way energy is used and saved
• Successful, sustainable long-term strategies can be replicated in other Australian towns and cities, showcasing the nation’s ingenuity to the rest of the world.

Source : Australia Solar Cities

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Dezhou is in China in the north west of the Shandong Province and can be found in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has more than 2,000 years of history with an amazing culture. It has a complete area of 10,356 square kilometers and a population of 5.6 million. It administers one district, two county-level cities, 8 counties and two economic development zones.
Dezhou enjoys superior locations and convenient transportation. It's a national key traffic hub and regional logistics center. Belonging to the continental monsoon climate of the warm temperate zone, Dezhou has four distinctly different seasons with separate dry and wet seasons and plenty of sunshine. Enjoying fertile land，sufficient sunshine and water from the yellow .

Dezhou has rich underground resources such as petroleum, natural gas, coal and geothermal energy. After many years' development, Dezhou has formed four traditional industries---equipment manufacturing, chemicals, textiles and garments, agricultural and by-products processing, and four new industries which are new energy, new materials, biological technology and sports equipments. In recent years, Dezhou has got three state-level city brands: China's Solar City, Central Air-Conditioner City, China's Functional Sugar City.

Solar Industry has emerged in Dezhou.
In a certain area  the concentration of solar industries is so high that it got the name: “China Solar city”. or vally .
There are many large or small producers of specific solar and thermal components in an enormous variety. Vacuum tube solar collectors are made in different configurations and outlook. And not all flat plate collector one can see are “simple flat plate collectors”; some of them are high tech refined technology products.
There is production of photovoltaic arrays and of high tech insulation glass. And many of the photovoltaic public lighting in streets and parks throughout Dezhou  is locally produced. Heat pipes as produced in Dezhou can play an important role in efficient heat exchangers in energy conservation.
Since early-1990s, the solar energy industry of Dezhou has been in rapid development. So far, there have been more than 100 solar enterprises in this solar city. Himin and Ecco, whose headquarters are located in Dezhou, are two famous professional solar product brands and also large solar water heater production base in the world. The solar commercialization development mode initiated by Himin Group has brought positive influence to the world's solar promotion and application.

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Massive Solar Powered Sundial Building in Dezhou :
Located in Dezhou of the Shandong Province, the 75,000 square meter (807,293 square feet) center includes exhibition centers, scientific research facilities, meeting and training facilities, and a hotel.  It'll be a showcase of solar design, solar desalination, and, of course, about 50,000 square-feet of solar panels on the exterior. 

With advanced roof and wall insulation, the conference center is supposed to be about 30% more efficient than China's national standard.  And, notwithstanding its size, renewable energy will power 95% of the center's energy needs.
Source : China Solar City

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Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Project Power produced: 3.4 MW at 6 Sites, Including City Hall
Lifetime CO² Reduction: 150 million lbs.
Annual Energy Production: 4.2 million kWh
The solar city of Sacramento, California’s capital city Sacramento that leads the nation in solar energy, has made a significant dedication to solar energy—and the best part is that this city didn't have to tap into the city's budget to go with solar power. Instead they partnered with Solar City, who financed, engineered, installed and will do the new solar power projects through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and the City will only pay for the power generated at a rate that is expected to be lower than electricity from the grid.
The solar city benefits:
Saving energy and the associated carbon dioxide emissions, solar city also helped create local construction jobs. In addition to the full-time employees based in Solar City's Sacramento operations center, Solar City hired nearly 250 local construction workers on a project basis to complete the Sacramento Projects.
The 3.4 MW project includes six City locations: City Hall, Police Department, Meadowview Service Center, South Corporation Yard, and the Fairbairn and Sacramento Water Treatment Plants. The systems are expected to produce about 4.2 million kWh the first year, which is roughly equals the electricity used to power 400 homes.
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Phase II Completed
After the first four projects began in 2011, Sacramento solar City Council voted to increase the Solar City project and approved a second phase which added another 1.5 MW at the Fairbairn and Sacramento Water Treatment Plants.

The City of Sacramento is working to develop an entertainment and sports center (ESC) in downtown Sacramento. This venue will serve as a major economic development tool for the city of Sacramento and the Sacramento region.

for more visit : city of Sacramento
                       solar city

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