City of Richmond Designated “SolSmart Silver” for Advancing Solar Energy Growth

The City of Richmond received a silver designation from the national SolSmart program for taking bold steps to remove obstacles to solar development and encourage solar energy growth during the 2017 National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit which took place Nov. 15 - 18 in Charlotte, NC.

SolSmart is led by the Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. More than 100 cities, counties and small towns have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016.

To receive designation, cities and counties make changes to their local permitting processes, as well as planning and zoning procedures, to reduce the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system. SolSmart designees may also develop innovations in areas such as market development and finance.

“SolSmart designation is part of our RVAgreen 2050 initiative to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050,” said Mayor Levar M. Stoney. “As a SolSmart Silver designee, we’re helping our residents and businesses obtain affordable, reliable and clean electricity through solar. We’ve also signaled our community is open for solar companies to do business here, which drives economic development and creates local jobs.”

SolSmart uses objective criteria to award communities points based on the actions they take to reduce barriers to solar energy development. Communities that take sufficient action are designated either gold, silver or bronze. 

As part of the SolSmart program, a team of national experts provides no-cost technical assistance to help communities achieve designation. All cities and counties are eligible to join the SolSmart program and receive this technical assistance. Interested communities can learn more at SolSmart.org.

For more information contact Alicia.Zatcoff@richmondgov.com or call 646-3055.