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as the rebate. There is a competitive bid process with that to make sure there is a fair and <br /> transparent price. A large part of it is getting people access to the information they need to make <br /> the right decision. We are the peer-to-peer support and we connect people who are all going <br /> through the process or have been through it. We also had a volunteer team as well that was part of <br /> our technical expertise. She then referenced a presentation (available in the City Clerk's Office). <br /> She continued, We also have a wonderful website. Our volunteer team was a tremendous part of <br /> the success of the initiative. They also help raise the awareness about the program as well. The <br /> seeds were really planted back in 2015 and 2016 when a number of local churches and a mosque <br /> went solar.They are the ones that came together to form the volunteer team.There was also support <br /> from MACOG and the City of South Bend. One (1) of the significant accomplishments of the <br /> program was education and getting people exposed to this information. We had four(4)workshops <br /> in South Bend plus a mini workshop at Notre Dame. About two hundred (200) people were <br /> educated through that process and three hundred and twenty (320) when we include the Goshen <br /> outreach effort. We set a goal of about sixty (60) total projects. Overall we got ninety-seven (97) <br /> projects signed up last ye . A little over eighty percent (80%) of those were completed and the <br /> rest were scheduled on waitlist for the spring. We've just been waiting for the snow to melt and <br /> the flooding to recede. The green dots (referencing the presentation) represent projects actually <br /> installed and orange dots are projects scheduled to be installed. This shows the real scope of the <br /> program that really covered both Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties. <br /> She continued, This image shows South Bend with blue dots representing solar projects that <br /> already existed before we started this initiative. You will see the overlay. There were twenty-four <br /> (24) projects accounted for in the St. Joseph County area, fourteen (14) of those in the City of <br /> South Bend. There are two (2) more yet to be completed. When we started, we had six (6) <br /> residential solar projects. We will have nineteen(19) or twenty-two (22)by the time it is all done. <br /> The average home requires about six (6) to nine (9) kilowatts, or Kw. The total impact of the <br /> program will be just under seven hundred(700)kilowatts(Kw). Most of that is in the Goshen area <br /> but a substantial portion is in South Bend. Goshen has received national recognition for their solar <br /> power per capita. We had neighborhood meetings at the NNN,the First Unitarian Church and they <br /> have solar already. We had one (1) at the Library,Notre Dame, and Olivet. <br /> Committeemember Oliver Davis asked, In terms of promotion, what is there to add more to that <br /> science? What are your key things you are doing now? <br /> Ms. Thill replied, Right now the team has chosen to take a break and see what the market does <br /> naturally over the next year or so. If there is demand, there is a website (www.solarizeni.org) and <br /> people can sign up if they would like to have an educational session. <br /> Committee Chair Dr. Varner asked, The folks who participated in the program, what did it save <br /> them? <br /> Ms. Thill replied, Approximately ten to fifteen percent (10% - 15%) of the total cost. They then <br /> also get the thirty percent(30%) federal tax credit if they have enough income. People are making <br /> moderate purchases. And it actually takes close to the same time to install small projects as it does <br /> large projects. <br /> 2 <br />