Program Guide
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As a SolSmart participant, you’ll receive free technical assistance from a team of national experts who will help you expand opportunities for solar energy growth in your jurisdiction.
Pathway to Bronze
If your community has already taken actions to support solar, you may be on your way to SolSmart Bronze designation with very little additional effort.
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Do you:
- Have solar energy goals mentioned in your Comprehensive Plan?
- Offer online resources for residents to learn about solar energy?
- Have solar installed on a government-owned facility or property?
- Have an online permitting system used for solar installation projects?
- Allow solar by right in your zoning code?
Checking several of these means that you’re close to earning SolSmart Bronze. We can help you reach that designation, or work with you to go even further.
A SolSmart designation sends a public message that you are increasing energy options for your residents, and are open to the economic development that comes from the booming solar market. Ready to get started?
SolSmart Bronze Designation in 4 Steps.
To start your SolSmart designation, fill out this online form! Once we receive this form, we will set up time to discuss the SolSmart program and your community’s goals.
What’s next?
- The SolSmart team will initiate a review of your zoning ordinance. You should expect to receive your completed review within 2 weeks.
- Sign and return the zoning review to earn 5 points.
That completes step 1, and you’ve completed two prerequisites for your designation!
SolSmart emphasizes having a clear and transparent permitting process for residents and solar installers. We have a template to help you create or update your solar permitting checklist. You can expect this checklist to take 2-4 weeks to develop and will require you to collaborate with your permitting department. Our technical assistance team is available to help.
Send us your checklist and you’ve fulfilled the last prerequisite for SolSmart bronze! If your checklist includes information about permitting energy storage and ground-mounted solar, you’ll earn an additional 20 points.
Staff in key roles, including planning, zoning, permitting, and inspection, play critical roles to ensuring your community is implementing solar best practices. To complete your bronze designation, we recommend:
- Key staff that work in planning and zoning watch our recorded P&Z training video. This 90 minute training discusses planning and zoning best practices as they relate to solar PV. The training earns you 10 points in Planning & Zoning credits, as well as 1.5 AICP CM credits. View the training here.
- Staff that lead solar permitting and inspection watch our recorded P&I training video. This 120 minute training covers the important information that building officials need to know to ensure that solar is installed safely. These trainings earn you 20 points in Permitting & Inspection credits. View the training here.
To receive a bronze designation, your community needs to earn a total of 60 points, including at least 20 points in Planning & Zoning and 20 points in Permitting & Inspection. Click here to view some of the most common criteria communities use to earn their bronze designation.
SolSmart Bronze Designation Common Criteria.
The following are some of the most common criteria communities use to earn their bronze designation.
20 points are required from this category.
| # | Points | Criteria | Detail |
| PI-2 | 10 Points | Train permitting staff | Attend one of SolSmart’s trainings when offered or watch the recorded video, provide a signed memo with details about the permit training including name of training, name of trainer, attendees, date and time, location, agenda and presentation/slides. |
| PI-3 | 10 Points | Train inspection staff | Attend one of SolSmart’s trainings when offered or watch the recorded video, provide a signed memo with details about the permit training including name of training, name of trainer, attendees, date and time, location, agenda and presentation/slides. |
| PI-14 | 5 Points | Demonstrate that residential permit fees for solar PV are $500 or less | Provide a link to the permit fee schedule or a document that outlines the permit fees applied to a solar installation. |
| PI-16 | 10 Points | Post an online checklist | Post an online checklist detailing the required permit(s), submittals, and steps of your community’s solar plus (e.g., battery storage, and/or electric vehicle charging) permitting process. |
| PI-17 | 10 Points | Post an online checklist | Post an online checklist detailing the required permit(s), submittals, and steps of your community’s permitting process for primary use ground-mount solar and include any additional state required permits. |
| PI-19 | 10 Points | Require no more than 1 inspection for small rooftop solar installment | Provide details about the solar PV inspection process that includes information on the type of inspections (and which departments are involved) and total number inspection trips required. |
20 points are required from this category.
| # | Points | Criteria | Detail |
| PZ-2 | 5 Points | Memo of zoning amendments to zoning and/or planning commission | Provide meeting minutes, meeting agenda, or materials prepared for the meeting that demonstrate a discussion about the zoning review. |
| PZ-3 | 5 Points | Present memo findings by zoning amendments to the planning/zoning commission or relevant body. | Provide draft language of the proposed zoning ordinance changes that clarify solar energy requirements, address gaps identified by zoning memo, and remove barriers to solar development. |
| PZ-7 | 5 Points | Allow small ground-mounted solar as an accessory use in at least 1 district | Provide a link to the zoning ordinance or land use regulations that allows small ground-mounted solar PV as an accessory use. Please indicate the relevant section(s). |
| PZ-18 | 10 Points | Train planning and zoning staff | Attend one of SolSmart’s trainings when offered or provide a signed memo with details about the planning and zoning training including name of training, name of trainer, attendees, date and time, location, agenda and presentation/slides. |
| PZ-19 | 5 Points | Ensure the zoning ordinance permits small ground-mounted solar PV as an accessory use in at least one zoning district | Post an online fact sheet that provides an overview of what zoning allows for solar PV under what conditions and in which districts (e.g., types and sizes of solar systems permitted, the processes required, and other relevant information) |
| PZ-21 | 5 Points | Draft new or updated language for PV goals, metrics and strategies to include in future plans | Provide draft language |
Other categories include Government Operations (GO), Community Engagement (CE), and Market Development (MD).
| # | Points | Criteria | Detail |
| GO-1 | 20 Points | Install solar PV on local government facilities and/or government controlled land | Provide news articles, a press release announcing the commissioned system or webpage that summarizes the details of the installation(s) including total number of systems, size, location, visibility and photos. A signed contract for project installation is also an acceptable form of verification. |
| GO-6 | 20 Points | Install solar PV integrated with other technologies such as battery storage or electric vehicle charging on local government facilities and/or local government controlled land. | Provide a news article, a press release announcing the commissioned system, or webpage that summarizes the details of the solar installation(s) integrated with other technologies including total number of systems, size, location, technologies used, and photos. |
| CE-1 | 10 Points | Create a solar landing page. A solar landing page is a way to provide residents, businesses, and solar installers with important information about your community’s solar energy policies, processes, goals, and metrics from one centralized location. It is also a way to educate community members about solar energy topics like financing options and consumer protection best practices. Information and resources posted should be up to date and made available in multiple languages as appropriate for your community. In addition, information and resources should be available to community members. | Provide a link to the solar landing page. Communities can often earn CE-3-7 by posting additional resources on this page!
Templates and examples are available. |
| CE-3 | 5 Points | Post online resources about residential and commercial solar PV financing options and incentives. | Provide a link to this information on the solar landing page. |
| CE-4 | 5 Points | Post online resources about consumer protection and Solar PV | Provide a link to this information on the solar landing page. |
| CE-5 | 5 Points | Post online summary of state policies related to solar rights | Provide link to this information on the solar landing page. |
| CE-6 | 5 Points | Post online summary of state policies related to HOAs | Provide link to this information on the solar landing page. |
| CE-7 | 5 Points | Post online resources about solar installers and/or solar quote platforms | Provide link to this information on the solar landing page. |
| MD-4 | 20 Points | Support a Community Solar Program | Provide a link to information about the community solar program, including any outreach materials and details about program design.
or Provide documentation (e.g., signed memo) detailing the local government’s partnership and/or other relevant support provided to the community solar program. |
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SolSmart guides, templates, recorded webinars and trainings, and more
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