Park Ridge, IL

In 2019, 23 Illinois municipalities and counties received the coveted SolSmart designation in a ceremony at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois.

The ceremony honored Bartlett, Deer Park, Elgin, Hillside, Hoffman Estates, LaGrange, Lake County, Lake Forest, Lake in the Hills, Libertyville, Montgomery, Naperville, Palos Park, Park Ridge, River Forest, Rockford, Round Lake Beach, Warrenville, Waukegan, and Winnetka. These 20 communities received no-cost technical assistance from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which served as a SolSmart Advisor and was the chief catalyst in the communities’ drive to seek designation.

• Created an online permitting checklist, increasing transparency for community members and solar installers
• Reviewed local zoning codes and identified restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development