Solar Action Plan is an open API driven online community where solar enthusiasts come together and share their experiences and ideas about solar technology and sustainable living. Users can create their own solar action plans at my.solaractionplan.com which specifically focus on what they're doing to change their lifestyle and make a difference. Visitors can browse these profiles and learn about how solar and other sustainable technologies are being used by others.
Why Solar?
Even for the most skeptical citizens, it is now obvious that our dependence upon coal and petroleum based energy is leading us towards global catastrophe. Each day more and more local, state and federal government programs are being created to encourage green technologies such as residential PV systems. These programs are sorely needed and will greatly benefit the solar industry; however they also create opportunities for unscrupulous characters to try to take advantage of all the goodwill and money that is driving these initiatives. Already we have seen every car and oil company trying to rebrand themselves as green in recent advertising campaigns, while simultaneously spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to stop legislation to increase mileage standards or provide new funding for alternative energy research.
Building trust
Individual consumers interested in "going solar" need to find a local contractor who can advise them on what type of installation makes the most sense for their residence. They also need someone who will install their system, and they have valid concerns about how long it will last or what happens when there is a failure. People need good answers to these questions from a source they can trust.
An Open Social Platform
Solar Action Plan addresses these issues by providing an open social platform where users can learn from the experience of others and also share their own experiences. It provides a feedback mechanism for consumers to talk about contractors in their area and specific products they have used. This information is available for anyone to peruse using the website.
Sharing the Love
In addition to this, the data is also made available via a web service, under a Creative Commons license, so that any person, company or government agency can access the complete database or any part of it using an automated system. The openness is crucial for building trust and allowing the greater web community to be able to leverage this resource and build upon it.
Where do I sign up?
We're currently meeting with influencers and decision makers in the solar ecosystem in Northern California. We're planning on a private alpha release, focusing on Berkeley, California in April 2008.