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SolSmart celebrates 10 years of helping local governments go solar

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SolSmart celebrates 10 years of helping local governments go solar

SolSmart, a national program that helps local governments remove barriers to solar energy adoption, today marks its tenth anniversary. Since 2016, SolSmart has helped over 600 local governments and regional organizations cut red tape, increase energy choice for residents and strengthen community energy resilience. SolSmart is a free technical assistance program supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and co-led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

SolSmart offers free expert technical assistance to help local governments adopt nationally recognized best practices to advance solar energy adoption. With electricity costs rising rapidly and a sixth of U.S. households behind on their utility bills, SolSmart helps local governments reduce energy costs for residents. Solar projects can help meet rising electricity demands at lower costs than other energy sources, but only if local processes like permitting and inspection allow them to come online efficiently and affordably. SolSmart enables this by helping communities streamline policies while maintaining safety and reliability.

Participating communities can earn graded designations by taking specific steps to reduce barriers to solar adoption, such as improving permitting and inspection practices and expanding information for residents. Designation provides national recognition of communities’ work to expand energy options for residents and businesses, while providing measurable benefits. Independent research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that SolSmart designation is associated with an 18–19% increase in solar capacity per month compared to non-designated communities.

“The city of Athens is proud to be one of the first communities in the country to pursue SolSmart designation,” said Steve Patterson mayor of Athens, Ohio.


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