Chester County, PA

Chester County, Pennsylvania enacted a comprehensive suite of solar-friendly actions to earn their SolSmart Gold designation, including educating and providing solar resources to communities within the county, working with the utility, connecting residents with financial incentives for solar, and more!

• Convened an active energy task force or solar working group that meets at least three times per year
• Created a solar landing page on local government’s website with information on the community’s solar goals and local resources for solar development
• Engaged with regional organizations on advancing solar policies in the region including, but not limited to, unified permitting processes and group procurement opportunities
• Created and shared an interactive solar map for the community
• Hosted a solar workshop open to the general public and/or local government staff explaining PV opportunities and policies
• Created and distributed educational materials at relevant community events and through local government channels
• Publicly encouraged community solar projects or solar PV projects on community facilities
• Took an innovative action to make going solar easier and more affordable for residents and/or businesses that was not captured in any of the criteria already in the program
• Provided resources on active solar installers and/or local incentives for solar PV and/or thermal
• Made solar PV metrics publicly available
• Provided information to consumers about different solar PV financing options, including commercial options such as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing
• Conducted feasibility analysis for solar PV installations on public facilities
• Provided PACE financing to the community
• Provided local incentives (i.e. permit fee waivers or rebates) or locally-enabled finance (e.g., a revolving loan fund) for solar
• Provided guidance on planning, zoning and development best practices to communities in the county through webinars, in-person meetings, one-on-one calls or trainings
• Collaborated with local inspection departments to develop an inspection checklist for the region, and share results publicly through webinars, in-person meetings, training and/or the county’s website
• Hosted regional training or discussion on best practices in permitting for communities in the count
• Incorporated solar into county-wide comprehensive plans and/or economic development plans, including quantifiable targets or metrics
• Conducted review of state policies related to protecting rights of property owners to install solar and solar system owners right to sunlight on their property, and made the findings available to community members
• Provided consumer protection resources on solar which help consumers make informed solar PV purchasing decisions
• Engaged homeowners and neighborhood associations and discourage unnecessarily restrictive requirements for solar PV through meetings with leadership
• Reviewed best practices for integrating interconnection with electrical inspections and share best practices with staff
• Discussed community or shared solar programs with the localities
• Engaged and communicated with the utility on community goals for solar PV, net metering, and interconnection processes
• Coordinated with regional organizations or other local governments to engage utilities