SolSmart Advisor Training in Washington, DC

Trip participants gathered together

Our Special Projects Manager Anne Tazewell and Policy Analyst David Sarkisian were in Washington, DC this week for SolSmart Advisor training!

SolSmart is a national designation program recognizing cities, counties, and towns that foster the development of mature local solar markets. To help communities achieve designation, SolSmart provides no-cost technical assistance from a team of national experts who work with local governments to evaluate programs and practices that impact solar markets, and identify high-prospect opportunities for improvement, according to their website.

The SolSmart training took place at National Association of Counties (NACo), where they were joined by other advisers in training from around the country including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Indiana and Minnesota.

From January to June 2019, Anne and David will work with Virginia communities, including Blacksburg, Fairfax and James City County, to help them become more solar-friendly by helping to bring down the “soft” costs of solar, such as permitting, planning, raising community awareness and more.

Last year, Anne helped Orange County, Town of Chapel Hill and Carrboro in North Carolina become SolSmart Gold and Silver communities.

Learn more about becoming a SolSmart community here!