The City of Coral Gables is encouraging our residents/businesses to use alternative forms of energy.  

2022 Miami-Dade Solar Co-op

A solar co-op is a group of homeowners that bundle their buying power to secure a volume discount on rooftop solar PV systems. They use free-market principles to solicit competitive bids from area solar installers in order to secure the best price, and ensure a quality product. The Miami-Dade Solar Co-op is organized by Solar United Neighbors - a nonprofit organization. Co-ops are cost and commitment-free for Miami-Dade homeowners interested in solar energy. Co-ops focus on education, consumer protection, advocacy and support in going solar. For information on the Co-op, or to learn more visit SolarUnitedNeighbors.org/Miami 

***Upgrade your Home or Business’s Energy Efficiency with PACE Financing***

Did you know that as a resident or commercial business in the City of Coral Gables you may qualify for financing to make improvements to your buildings that can lower utility bills, reduce annual repair and maintenance costs, decrease insurance premiums and increase the property’s market value? The City of Coral Gables is a member of the Clean Energy Green Corridor Program, an initiative currently available for commercial and residential property owners to implement energy efficiency upgrades through Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing.

PACE financing allows residential or commercial property owners to finance renewable energy and efficiency upgrades over the long term through a voluntary property tax assessment. Eligible improvements may include solar panels, hurricane windows and shutters, roof strengthening measures, air conditioning and heating systems, water heaters, weatherproofing, insulation, pool pumps and much more. These improvements, in turn, can lower utility bills, increase the home’s value, lower hurricane insurance costs, and improve the quality of the residence.

Visit www.coralgables.com/PACE for more information. 

Coral Gables Achieves SolSmart Silver Designation

Coral Gables has received silver designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, & more affordable for homes & businesses to go solar. Coral Gables is taking strides to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles to solar development. SolSmart Silver signals that Coral Gables is “open for solar business.” 

SolSmart is led by The Solar Foundation, International City/County Management Association (ICMA), and the U.S. DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office. As a SolSmart designee, Coral Gables is helping solar companies reduce the cost of installations and pass those savings on to consumers. This allows more local homes and businesses to obtain affordable, clean, and reliable electricity through solar. This will help encourage solar companies to do business in the area, driving economic development and creating local jobs. 

 

City Solar Achievements:

A solar submittal checklist was developed to help streamline the permitting process.
 City solar permit fees are waived.
 PACE financing is provided to help businesses and homeowners go solar.
 Eleven solar benches have been installed in city parks.
 Building Official, Electrical Inspector and Permitting staff have attended Solar Workshop Training.
 City facilities have been evaluated for solar PV installations
 Information has been posted online advising residents and businesses that  accessory use solar PV is allowed.

Interested in Solar? Below are 8 steps to installing solar panels on your home or business. For more information, please visit requirements for solar installations.

Step into Solar Flyer [PDF] 

To locate a list of solar contractors in Florida please visit the  Florida Solar Energy Center  and/or the  Florida Solar Energy Industries Association  websites.

Coral Gables Adds 11 Solar Benches to Its Parks

Coral Gables has recently added 11 Solar Powered Charging Benches to its City Parks. Residents and visitors to the parks listed below can now charge your electronic devices (phones, tablets, etc.) year round but especially in times following a natural disaster (hurricanes, etc.) where power can be potentially lost from the grid by harnessing the power of the sun. Select parks also have WIFI availability. The City of Coral Gables is the first  city in South Florida to embrace sustainable solar power charging benches, keeping our residents and visitors connected.

Please note: You must bring your own charging cord to connect to the benches.

Locations of Solar Benches

Park Name:	Address	WIFI
Ponce Circle Park	1201 Ponce de Leon	No
Coral Bay Park	1590 Campamento Ave	No
Phillips Park	90 Menores Ave	In Progress
William H. Kerdyk & Family Park	6611 Yumuri St.	Yes
Salvador Park	1120 Andalusia Ave	Yes
Jaycee Park	1230 Hardee Road	No
Rotary Park	592 Ponce De Leon Blvd	No
War Memorial Youth Center	405 University Drive	Yes
Pittman Park	115 Merrick Way	Yes

The City of Coral Gables has made environmental sustainability and adaptation and mitigation efforts to address climate change and sea level rise a top priority. This is evident in the City creating a 10-year sustainability master plan which outlines the City goals and objectives to decrease energy, water, fossil fuel use along with greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2025. Within the sustainability plan, there are renewable energy projects that include installing solar on a number of our existing facilities (installing solar thermal systems at our 3 fire stations and a 140 kWh solar system on our Youth Center). The City has also incorporated renewable energy and sustainability into its 3-year strategic plan which sets and tracks intermediate goals aimed at increasing operational efficiency while reducing environmental impacts.

Below are a few additional projects that the City has implemented that focus specifically on renewable energy:

• In July 2017, the City joined the Mayors for 100% clean energy campaign by pledging to obtain 100% renewable energy in Coral Gables and across the United States. Click here for a copy of Resolution 2017-160
• The City is also an original member of the Clean Energy Green Corridor Program, an initiative that allows commercial and residential property owners to implement energy efficiency upgrades through Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing, making renewable energy and efficiency upgrades possible over the long term through a voluntary property tax assessment. The City quarterly tracks energy efficiency installations (solar, etc.).  As of March 2017, over 200 projects have been completed at a value of almost $7 million. 
• To further encourage energy efficiency and sustainable development the City passed a Green Building Ordinance in April 2016 that requires any new City Facility and/or any private development 20,000 square feet and above to be built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification or equivalent.  In addition, the City has also waived all city permit fees for solar installations and streamlined the permitting process making it more affordable for residential and commercial properties to utilize renewable energy. 
• The City was one of the 35 finalist cities in the 2018 Bloomberg Mayors Challenge. The City partnered with the University of Miami on creating a first of its kind Resilient Energy System (RES). RES is designed to harness renewable energy (solar), storing it in batteries and then distributing the power via smart software to critical emergency systems. This allows critical emergency services to continue without interruption furthering our ability to save lives all while producing zero carbon emissions.

As is evident above, the City of Coral Gables is committed to transitioning our operations to renewable energy. In conjunction, the City is encouraging the community to transition as well.