​Tiverton and Little Compton Collectively Double Solar Installations

​Providence, R.I. – Governor Gina M. Raimondo, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), Commerce RI and SmartPower today announced that Solarize Tiverton and Little Compton, community campaigns to drive solar adoption in Rhode Island, have closed with a dramatic increase of solar adopters. In total, over 55 homeowners and businesses went solar, doubling the amount of solar in the towns. Solarize Tiverton and Little Compton are initiatives of SmartPower, a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance clean energy, along with OER and Commerce RI.

​“It is great to see so many Rhode Island families and businesses in Tiverton and Little Compton taking advantage of these solar energy initiatives,” said Raimondo. “With our region facing high energy costs, solar provides an important opportunity to both lower costs and promote clean energy. The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, Commerce RI, and SmartPower are doing great work, and I look forward to these community campaigns continuing to grow across the state.”

​PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three Rhode Island schools, including Scituate High School, North Kingstown High School and Deering Middle School in West Warwick, were honored today for the energy efficiency videos that students developed as part of National Grid and SmartPower’s Rhode Island Video Challenge. The Rhode Island Video Challenge is a competition that launched last fall and an extension of the extremely popular statewide energy efficiency campaign “Find Your Four!” Students at these three schools were the top contributors of creative and engaging videos that showed the ease of finding four ways to reduce energy use. In total, Rhode Island students, classrooms and schools submitted 36 custom-made and unique videos to the competition. Rhode Islanders cast over 10,000 votes for their favorite videos. Today’s schools are being honored for their participation in the Rhode Island Video Challenge with grants to be used for sustainability programs of their choosing. Each school also received a sign announcing their accomplishment as a “Rhode Island Energy Champion.”

​For Immediate Release                                                                       

Contact:
SmartPower: Brian F. Keane 202-775-2042
Lauren Ellison Fox: 843-532-4234

Solarize South Carolina Launches
Award Winning Solar Program to Accelerate Spread of Solar in South Carolina

March 13, 2015 Charleston, SC: Solarize South Carolina, an innovative program designed to help South Carolinians go solar and save on electricity costs, launched today. With discounted installations provided by high-quality local solar installers, there has never been a better way to go solar. The first Solarize program in South Carolina is now available to residents of Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, North Charleston and James Island, and will be introduced across the state in the coming weeks.

​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Melissa Czerwein, mczerwein@commerceri.com, (401) 278-9119

​Senator Whitehouse and State Leadership Announce Launch of Tiverton and Little Compton Solarize Campaigns

​January 29, 2015 (Tiverton, R.I.) — U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representatives from Governor Gina M. Raimondo’s office joined the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation (Commerce RI), the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), and non-profit marketing firm SmartPower today to announce the launch of Solarize Tiverton and Solarize Little Compton, the latest communities to join the growing Solarize Rhode Island program.

​“Rhode Island has some of the highest energy costs in the country. Solarize Rhode Island’s energy efficiency programs help reduce residential and business costs now and in the future,” said Governor Gina M. Raimondo. “Together we can ‘Make it’ in Rhode Island by investing in clean renewable energy and in turn, create jobs and economic opportunities.”