Solarize Blacksburg was a local initiative to bring solar to the Town of Blacksburg. The partners, which included Community Housing Partners, VA SUN, and Blacksburg’s solar advocates and installers, asked solar installers across the state to bid on a group of installations. Through the power of bulk purchasing, Solarize Blacksburg helped drive down the cost of solar for Blacksburg residents. 59 homeowners purchased a total of 320 kW amount of solar. Additionally, 60 homeowners signed up for a free home energy evaluation, which were offered to all participants. More than a dozen localities around the state have expressed interested in creating similar programs, and 9 have actually done so since Blacksburg launched the first Virginia program in March of 2014