Energy Ready integrates a collection of new and existing designation programs for local governments, including SolSmart, Charging Smart, and Distributed Wind Smart. Each program awards designations to communities that successfully implement criteria to reduce unintended barriers to clean energy development.
About Energy Ready
Energy Ready gives local governments the tools to access and manage clean energy investment
Local governments play a critical role in how energy technologies are adopted. Permitting, inspection, and zoning are just a few factors they control that can make or break the process of clean energy adoption for residents and businesses.
Communities that enroll in Energy Ready receive hands-on expert support, tailored to their local area, at no cost. Participating jurisdictions can choose from a variety of actions to meet designation requirements. This personalized approach ensures that each community can take a path that aligns with residents’ needs and priorities.
Whatever your local priorities—from unlocking clean energy investment and economic growth, to advancing energy independence and resilience, to ensuring energy development aligns with your community’s priorities—the Energy Ready suite of programs can help!
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting started is easy. Complete the contact form at the bottom of the page, with your contact info and the technologies for which your community is interested in receiving technical assistance. A member of our team will get in touch to learn more about your community’s goals and guide you to the next phase of the program.
There are myriad benefits to pursuing a designation from one or more of the programs in the Energy Ready suite, including access to vetted best practices and hands-on support at no cost to your community. Upon achieving designation, you’ll also receive national recognition for the steps your community has taken to better manage clean energy growth.
We know that every community is unique—so each program in the Energy Ready suite offers multiple pathways to designation that can be tailored to local priorities. For example, the steps that make sense for a large city may differ from those that fit best for a rural community. Whatever your community’s priorities or challenges, you don’t need to start from scratch! Our technical assistance providers can connect you with vetted best practices and help you prioritize the most impactful and appropriate actions.
Some of the specific benefits of solar, distributed wind, and electric vehicles that motivate communities to participate in our programs include:
- economic growth, including local business opportunities in clean energy (job growth) and accessing clean energy investments
- energy independence and cost stabilization
- increased energy choice for residents and businesses
- disaster preparedness and climate resilience
- ensuring that energy development aligns with community preferences, such as making sure large-scale solar plants are sited appropriately and include long-term benefits for residents
- cleaner air and other environmental benefits
- climate change mitigation and other sustainability goals
SolSmart, Charging Smart, and Distributed Wind Smart are all designed to support local government staff.
Not a local government employee but interested in the benefits these programs can provide in your community? We welcome you to share information about these programs with your local representatives and government employees.
SolSmart, the longest-running program in the Energy Ready suite, is active in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Charging Smart is currently operating in a pilot phase with services available in select geographies (see Charging Smart page for more details) but the program is in the process of expanding nationally and is accepting applications for program partners to support technical assistance in additional regions. In early 2025, Charging Smart will launch nationally allowing local governments in all states and U.S. territories to participate.
Distributed Wind Smart will launch in early 2025.
If you are interested in Charging Smart or Distributed Wind Smart but they are not yet live in your area, we encourage you to still submit a form indicating your interest and our team will make sure to follow up with you when you are able to participate.
There has never been a better time to participate in SolSmart, Charging Smart, or Distributed Wind Smart. That’s because, in the coming years, millions of dollars in federal investments will be made available to support local clean energy projects as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Communities that can show they have sound local policies and practices for enabling the safe and efficient development of clean energy projects, from solar to EV charging to distributed wind, will be more likely to be successful in unlocking these investments and the local economic growth that can come with them.
Once you submit your interest form, our team can help you navigate prioritizing your participation in one or more of our programs. Some clean energy technologies may be better suited to the natural resources in your community, the priorities of your residents at the current time, or steps your local government has already taken. Many communities will opt to pursue multiple designations from the Energy Ready suite.
What People Are Saying
Energy Ready provides a way for communities to gain knowledge quickly within an integrated structure across solar, wind, and electric vehicles.
Toyah Callahan
Vice President of Local Initiatives, IREC
Vice President of Local Initiatives, IREC
We know that local governments are thinking about their energy plans and strategies in a comprehensive and integrated way, so we are excited to be able to offer tools, trainings, and technical assistance that reflect this integration.
Tad McGalliard
Managing Director, Research, Development, and Technical Assistance, ICMA
Managing Director, Research, Development, and Technical Assistance, ICMA
Program Co-Leads
