Sacramento is looking to use its abundant sunlight to cut down on energy costs and pollution by partnering with Solar City to install more than 8,000 solar panels throughout the city. Solar City is the nation’s leading provider of solar panels for homes, businesses and government organizations, according to its website, and it has taken on a number of projects in Sacramento in the past. This partnership, however, is slated to be the largest, according to the company. The systems are expected to produce 2.6 million kilowatt hours in the first year while the average U.S. home uses about 10,000 kilowatt hours in a year. The solar energy produced in one year will be enough to power 260 homes

A local energy efficiency program led by Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty is caught in the middle of a giant bureaucratic tug-of-war. McCarty’s program would give residents and businesses a lengthy period of time to pay for energy-efficient upgrades at their homes and workplaces. Assessments on residents’ property taxes would fund the upgrades. The local program garnered $740,000 in federal stimulus funds in November. But McCarty’s planned program — one of many similar energy-saving programs throughout the country — was squashed in July by the federal agency in charge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Sacramento City Council passed a resolution Thursday that backs a bill in Cong

The broad ideas for Mayor Kevin Johnson’s burgeoning environmental initiative were presented by city staffers at Thursday’s City Council meeting. Johnson said the “green initiative” will have the following elements: the intersection of the environment and the regional economy, green jobs, environmental policies and education. “The whole purpose of this initiative is really to convene, coordinate, align and leverage leaders across the region,” the mayor said. “You’ll hear a lot of talk about the environment, the economy and education.” Yvette Rincon, the city’s sustainability program manager, said Johnson’s “green initiative” will include policies on energy; waste and recycling; water an

Residents may be able to schedule a household energy efficiency makeover in the coming months. Sacramento officials are making headway on a voluntary program to provide residents and businesses a way to make energy efficiency upgrades to their properties. The program received a $740,000 infusion of federal stimulus dollars in November. It would allow property owners to choose from a variety of energy efficiency improvements. Participants would pay for their upgrades over five, 10 or 20 years, said Councilman Kevin McCarty, who directed city staff last year to create the program in Sacramento. “I just think the upside is tremendous in this [program],” he said. The charges for the upgrades