The North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) has been working with three Virginia communities – Fairfax County, James City County and the Town of Blacksburg – as SolSmart advisors to help bring down the “soft costs” on solar PV, including permitting, planning, raising community awareness and other related activities. James City County has now been designated Bronze, Town of Blacksburg has been designated Silver and Fairfax County has now been designated Gold.

Since the beginning of the year, 20 SolSmart Advisors, including NCCETC’s Anne Tazewell and David Sarkisian, have worked closely with over 100 communities across 15 states to help them receive SolSmart designation by making it faster, easier and more affordable for residents and businesses to go solar. 

“Helping to reduce the ‘soft costs’ of solar and recognizing local governments in their related efforts to do so are important because the actual installed cost of solar photovoltaic panels have dropped precipitously – about 48 percent since 2010 – so that now the industry ‘soft costs’, such as permitting, inspections and customer acquisition costs, account for 64 percent of the total installed costs,” Tazewell said.

SolSmart is a national designation program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and run by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), that recognizes communities that have met goals designed to enhance and streamline solar energy development by removing local barriers. Activities involve permitting; planning, zoning and development; inspection; construction codes; solar rights; utility engagement; community engagement; market development and finance. To help communities achieve designation, SolSmart provides no-cost technical assistance from experts who work with local governments to evaluate programs and practices that impact solar markets and identify opportunities for improvement. More than 200 cities, counties and small towns have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016.

“Local governments are in a perfect position to facilitate more solar adoption. Moreover, the “business” of local governments are to serve their residents,” said Anne Tazewell, Senior Special Projects Manager. “People interested in seeing more widespread solar adoption should look to their local community and become aware of what it is or is not doing to support their interests. This is especially true for communities served by electric membership cooperatives and municipal utilities, since these utilities are operated by the local governments.”

Tazewell said it was a satisfying experience working with Virginia communities to help them become SolSmart designated.

“The actions taken by local communities will serve their long term resilience and help them enable more solar in their communities,” Tazewell stated. “I am grateful to have some part in making this happen.”

Fairfax County, VA

Fairfax County, VA is the first municipality in Virginia to be designated Gold by SolSmart.

“We are receiving this Gold designation from SolSmart because the Board of Supervisors continues to invest in the county’s solar energy programs,” said Kambiz Agazi, director of the Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination, in a recent press release. “We are excited to continue working in collaboration with Fairfax County’s residents and businesses to create a greener and more energy efficient community one building at a time.”

To receive the Gold designation from SolSmart, the County did the following: 

• Created an online permitting checklist, increasing transparency for community members and solar installers
• Reviewed local zoning codes and identified restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development
• Allowed solar by-right accessory use in all zones (so solar installations don’t require special permits or hearings)
• Cross-trained both inspection and permitting staff on solar PV
• Provided a streamlined permitting pathway for small PV systems

Learn more about the County’s commitment to solar here, view the County’s Solar Statement here, read a press release about the SolSmart designation here and review press coverage here.

Town of Blacksburg, VA

The Town of Blacksburg, VA was designated Silver by SolSmart. 

According to the Town’s website, as a key part of its environmental, sustainability and climate commitments, Blacksburg is always seeking ways to encourage installation of solar in its community. Solar has grown in Blacksburg since 2014 when the Town launched Solarize Blacksburg, the first community solar campaign in Virginia. Five years later, by the summer of 2019, there were more than 100 solar installations on residential and commercial properties throughout the town with more being added every day, according to the website.

To receive the Silver designation from SolSmart, the Town did the following:

• Created an online permitting checklist, increasing transparency for community members and solar installers.
• Reviewed local zoning codes and identified restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development
• Allowed solar by-right accessory use in all zones (so solar installations don’t require special permits or hearings)
• Cross-trained both inspection and permitting staff on solar PV

Visit the Town’s solar resource page here.

James City County, VA

James City County, VA was designated Bronze by SolSmart.

According to a statement from the County, James City County’s efforts demonstrate that the community is committed to driving continual improvement in its solar market, and in the process of doing so, all the related areas identified as community priorities in its Operation Initiatives and Capital Projects as outlined in the Strategic and Comprehensive Plans.

To receive the Bronze designation from SolSmart, the County did the following: 

• Created an online permitting checklist, increasing transparency for community members and solar installers.
• Reviewed local zoning codes and identified restrictions that intentionally or unintentionally prohibit solar PV development

Read more about the County’s solar commitment here, and its Solar Statement here.

Learn more about becoming a SolSmart community at https://www.solsmart.org/. Click here for an overview on How to Become a Solar-friendly Community through SolSmart, and check out a SolSmart overview video here.