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Media Contact: Fred Strohl
Communications and Media Relations
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Knoxville designated Solar American City

 Audio Clip  
Dana Christensen, ORNL Associate Lab Director for Energy and Engineering Sciences, spoke at the recent Solar Cities event in Knoxville.
Dana Christensen, ORNL Associate Lab Director for Energy and Engineering Sciences, spoke at the recent Solar Cities event in Knoxville. (hi-res image)
 
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 27, 2008 — Knoxville, Tenn., has been designated a Solar American City with $450,000 worth of Department of Energy grants, committing the city to wide deployment of solar powered electricity.

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam says the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory helps make the solar designation possible.

"We want to be a city that focuses on clean energy," Haslam says. "What Oak Ridge National Laboratory did for us helped clear the deck for us in terms of figuring out how do we make this happen and they've become a great partner with us."

Haslam says Knoxville plans to use solar power in the city's new transportation center, providing an example for other cities to follow.

"Cities can and should take the lead on this because we can do things that other people can't do," Haslam says. "We really hope this is inspiration for other folks around the country and - again - it's something we'd really like to be a leader in."

ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.