The national SolSmart program is partnering with experts at the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) and the University of Virginia (UVA) to help local governments across the state make it faster, easier, and more affordable to go solar.

Carrie Hearne at the DMME and Elizabeth Marshall at UVA will serve as SolSmart Advisors, who provide expert technical assistance at no cost to help municipalities and counties accelerate the use of solar energy and related clean energy technologies, such as battery storage and electric vehicles.

SolSmart is a national program led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. Since the program launched in 2016, more than 350 communities in 41 states and the District of Columbia have achieved designation as SolSmart Gold, Silver or Bronze, including 20 communities and one regional organization in Virginia.

“We are excited to work with UVA and the DMME to help more Virginia communities meet their clean energy goals through SolSmart,” said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director at The Solar Foundation. “Even in the wake of new challenges created by COVID-19, local governments are looking to clean energy to renew their economies and create high-quality jobs in the years ahead. With Virginia now poised to be one of the leading markets for solar energy growth, these expert Advisors will be helping communities succeed.”

The SolSmart Advisors from DMME and UVA will work with local governments to encourage solar energy growth. Advisors help review local programs and practices to remove obstacles to solar development and make it easier for homes and businesses to go solar. They will also be available to assist with current challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis, such as by providing resources on handling solar permits and inspections on a remote basis.

The Virginia communities to participate in this engagement will be selected over the coming weeks. Any municipality or county that is interested in taking part in the program should go to https://dmme.virginia.gov/de/solsmart.shtml or email vasolsmart@virginia.edu.

“Solar development is key in meeting Virginia’s clean energy goals established in the Virginia Clean Economy Act,” said DMME director John Warren. “DMME has expertise and is well positioned to serve our friends on the local level as we all work toward the transition to a clean energy grid. We are excited about our collaboration with the University of Virginia in developing and launching this program. Their technical advice will provide critical guidance and input needed to engage stakeholders and ensure program success.”

“The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia has a long history of working to make UVA’s globally recognized expertise available to public officials and private citizens in efforts to improve public policy in the Commonwealth,” said Larry Terry, executive director of the Weldon Cooper Center. “Global warming presents us with a challenge that will require all hands on deck. The Cooper Center looks forward to being part of helping design climate friendly policy pathways.”

The SolSmart program has previously deployed three rounds of Advisors. In Virginia, a local Advisor helped eight communities in the Southwest region of the state achieve designation in 2019. Other Advisor organizations that have worked in Virginia include the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.

The solar industry is expected to expand across Virginia in the coming years, in part due to the recent passage of the Clean Energy Economy Act, which contains new mandates and incentives for solar. Virginia already has nearly 4,500 solar jobs as of 2019, according to The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census.

News item from SolSmart