HomeMy WebLinkAboutSolSmart 300 Celebration
FOR RELEASE: October 10, 2019
CONTACT: Avery Palmer, The Solar Foundation, 202-866-0908, apalmer@solarfound.org
Edina, MN One of 300 Communities “Open for Solar Business”
Over 300 SolSmart Communities in 40 states are utilizing solar energy to help reduce carbon emissions and lower energy costs.
Edina, MN – Over 300 cities, towns, and counties across the country, including Edina, Minnesota, have now met national benchmarks for encouraging the growth of solar energy and removing
barriers to solar market development.
Led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association, and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, SolSmart helps local
governments make it faster, easier and more affordable to go solar. The program launched in 2016 and has now achieved its goal of designating at least 300 communities as SolSmart Gold,
Silver or Bronze, with designees in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
Edina received SolSmart Gold designation in January 2019. Through the SolSmart program, Edina received no-cost technical assistance and national recognition for its bold actions to advance
solar energy locally. Among Edina’s solar achievements, the City updated the zoning code to define a solar energy system and allow solar as a permitted accessory use in all zoning districts.
“It was great to go through the SolSmart certification process because it gave us a third-party audit and allowed us to see what experts, as well as other cities, did to ensure that
our community was open for solar.” Said Tara Brown, the Sustainability Manager for the City of Edina.
The SolSmart designees include cities, counties, small towns, and regional organizations in 40 states and the District of Columbia, representing 82 million people. One in four people
in America now live in a SolSmart-designated community. All designees, including the City of Edina, have met national criteria to prove they have streamlined local procedures to make
it easier for homes and businesses to install solar energy systems.
The actions that SolSmart communities have taken help reduce soft costs, which are the non-hardware costs that today represent roughly 65 percent of the cost of solar installations.
SolSmart helps local governments streamline permit approvals, review planning and zoning guidelines, facilitate group purchase campaigns, and improve solar financing options. Taken
together, these actions help lower the overall costs of solar installations and allow the solar industry to expand more rapidly nationwide.
Throughout the month of October, these communities are planning events, local announcements, and other special activities to highlight their solar energy achievements. More information
on these communities and their achievements can be found at http://www.SolSmart.org/SolSmart300.
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About SolSmart
SolSmart is a national designation and technical assistance program that recognizes leading solar communities and empowers additional communities to expand their local solar markets.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, SolSmart strives to cut red tape, drive greater solar deployment, and make it possible for even more American
homes and businesses to access solar energy to meet their electricity needs. More than 300 local governments in 40 states and the District of Columbia have achieved SolSmart designation,
representing 82 million people. SolSmart is led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association. Learn more at SolSmart.org.