Mayor Thomas Menino yesterday launched "Renew Boston Solarize," a three-month campaign to make solar panels more affordable and accessible for Boston homeowners and small businesses. Menino has set a goal of 150 new residential-scale solar power installations in the city.

Renew Boston Solarize is a group buying program designed to increase the adoption of solar energy and to reduce its cost by offering residents and businesses discounted pricing for solar panels.

The campaign is similar to Boston’s participation last year in Solarize Mass – Boston, through which more than 100 Boston residents, including Menino, installed solar panels on their homes.  It supports Menino’s Greenovate Boston sustainability initiative, which strives to engage residents and businesses to help reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. 

"Giving residents this opportunity to go solar is part of the city’s ongoing work to support Bostonians in their efforts to save money on energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Brian Swett, chief of environment and energy, said in a statement. "Renew Boston Solarize makes solar power more accessible than ever for city residents."