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SolSmart Designees
Santa Fe
New Mexico
Population: 84,683
Designation Level:
SolSmart Bronze
Year Designated:
2020
For this historic city that enjoys over 300 days of sunshine, SolSmart is one piece of a long-term strategy to meet ambitious sustainable development goals (the city also received a LEED Gold Certification this year from the U.S. Green Building Council). Santa Fe’s 2018 sustainability plan calls for the city to achieve 50% renewable energy by 2025 and become carbon-neutral by 2040. The city’s path toward reaching these milestones extends across all energy sectors including renewables, energy efficiency, and transportation.
Among other achievements, Santa Fe limits solar permit fees to $40, sets a three-day turnaround time for issuing permits, allows solar by-right in all zones, and published an online permitting checklist.
- 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
At the heart of our commitment to sustainability is a transition to renewable energy. To make that happen, we’re helping people get fast and easy permits for solar installation. We’re going solar as fast as we can.
- Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber
