Richfield, MN

Richfield, Minnesota earned SolSmart Silver designation in 2025 by completing a comprehensive set of actions to reduce barriers and grow the amount of solar energy in the community. That included installing solar PV on municipal property, offering a community solar program and PACE financing for residents, posting a host of informative solar materials on the city’s website, and more!

• Posted online resources about residential and commercial solar PV financing options and incentives.
• Posted online resources about consumer protection and solar PV.
• Posted online resources about solar installers and/or solar quote platforms for solar PV.
• Posted an online solar map for your community.
• Posted a solar landing page on local government’s website with information that may include the community’s solar goals, educational materials and tools that promote solar.
• Posted an online dashboard or summary of solar PV metrics for your community, including total installed solar PV capacity, solar PV + storage installations, and community solar and/or solarize subscribers
• Discussed solar PV goals and/or strategies for increasing solar PV development, including large-scale solar plans, solar access, and/or solar adoption in disadvantaged communities.
• Supported a solar informational session and/or solar tour explaining solar PV opportunities and policies.
• Conducted feasibility analysis for solar PV on local government facilities and/or local government-controlled land.
• Installed solar PV on local government facilities and/or local government-controlled land.
• Supported a community solar program.
• Provided a PACE financing program that includes solar PV as an eligible technology.
• Posted an online checklist detailing the required permit(s), submittals, and steps of the community’s permitting process for residential rooftop solar PV.
• Trained permitting staff on best practices for permitting solar PV and/or solar and storage systems.
• Trained inspection staff on best practices for inspecting solar PV and/or solar and storage systems.
• Provided an online process for solar PV permit submission and approval.
• Demonstrated that residential permit fees for solar PV are $500 or less.
• Codified in the zoning ordinance that accessory use rooftop solar PV is explicitly allowed by-right in all major zones.
• Ensured the zoning ordinance permits small ground-mounted solar PV as an accessory use in at least one zoning district.
• Trained planning and zoning staff on best practices in planning and zoning for solar PV.
• Included specific solar PV goals, metrics, and strategies in the most current published version of relevant local plans (e.g., energy plan, climate plan, comprehensive plan).
• Shared solar PV progress towards achieving targets or metrics from PZ-20 on the solar landing page.
• Reviewed zoning requirements and identify restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development.