Using public/private partnerships to develop renewable energy : an economic development analysis for the Cleantech Cluster in San Francisco

Abstract

Although state and federal financial incentives have made solar energy more cost effective in California, there still are real or perceived barriers to developing large scale, wide spread solar deployment. The City of San Francisco is looking to overcome these barriers in order to attract and support the solar industry, both as an economic development and an environmental goal. This report will analyze the economic, institutional and policy issues that impact San Francisco 's opportunity to achieve its solar development goals, and assess the barriers that have limited the City's success to date. The report examines how these barriers may be overcome by three new proposed initiatives that would use public/private partnerships to deploy large scale solar projects. It will then consider what economic development opportunity they might stimulate for the solar industry. Finally, it will offer recommendations to the City of San Francisco on using these public/private partnerships to implement local, renewable power on a large scale.