Your browser is not supported. This site is not intended for display in out-of-date browsers. To access the site, please upgrade to a different browser.
This Gold designation demonstrates our commitment to supporting clean, renewable sources of electricity as an important choice to fight climate change. Advancing solar energy benefits our quality of life by not only reducing the community carbon footprint, but also helping Austin become increasing resilient and adaptive.”Lucia Athens Austin’s Chief Sustainability Officer
SolSmart Criteria
Program Highlights
SolSmart Criteria
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
Made solar metrics publicly available
Cross-trained both inspection and permitting staff on solar PV
Provided a streamlined permitting pathway for small PV systems
Program Highlights
Austin Energy has had an incentive program for more than a decade that lowers the cost of solar.
The city has installed solar on more than 50 municipal buildings.
Established solar goals, which have been adopted in Austin Energy’s Resource Generation Plan. Those include achieving 750 megawatts of utility-scale solar and 200 megawatts of local solar by 2025.
Austin City Council has specifically adopted goals for customer-sited solar — 100 megawatts by 2025.