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SolSmart Designees
Park Ridge
Illinois
Population: 36,950
Designation Level:
SolSmart Bronze
Year Designated:
2019
In 2019, 23 Illinois municipalities and counties received the coveted SolSmart designation in a ceremony at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois.
The ceremony honored Bartlett, Deer Park, Elgin, Hillside, Hoffman Estates, LaGrange, Lake County, Lake Forest, Lake in the Hills, Libertyville, Montgomery, Naperville, Palos Park, Park Ridge, River Forest, Rockford, Round Lake Beach, Warrenville, Waukegan, and Winnetka. These 20 communities received no-cost technical assistance from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which served as a SolSmart Advisor and was the chief catalyst in the communities’ drive to seek designation.

- 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
SolSmart is a critical source of technical assistance to help us improve our permitting
processes at the local level, This makes solar more easily accessible to homeowners and businesses and makes our community more attractive to
potential new businesses and residents.
- Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney