This page provides a detailed description of each criterion in the Standard Pathway: Community Engagement category. It includes recommended verification for designation review, community examples, templates, and/or resources.
Learn more about the SolSmart designation process here. To access this information in a PDF document, download the SolSmart Program Guide.
Overview: Community Engagement
Local governments can be an important and trusted source of information for residents, businesses, and solar installers. Providing clear, high-quality information, public education and inclusive engagement opportunities can help residents and businesses interested in solar energy make informed decisions. Local governments can support more equitable outcomes by partnering with community organizations and developing goals and strategies that meet the needs of disadvantaged communities.
Many of the criteria in the community engagement category can be verified by providing information about a community’s solar energy goals, strategies and partnerships on a local government’s solar webpage.
The Standard Pathway includes 13 criteria for Community Operations, totaling 90 points.
CE-1 (10 Points)
Post a solar landing page on local government’s website with information that may include the community’s solar goals, educational materials and tools that promote solar, and resources for solar development (e.g. permitting checklist, application forms, zoning regulations, etc.). (Required for Silver)
A solar landing page is a way to provide residents, businesses, and solar installers with important information about your community’s solar energy policies, processes, goals, and metrics from one centralized location. It is also a way to educate community members about solar energy topics like financing options and consumer protection best practices. Information and resources posted should be made available in multiple languages as appropriate for your community. In addition, information and resources should be available to community members in print form if requested.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to the solar landing page.
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CE-2 (20 Points)
Establish partnerships with local community-based organizations or other organizations focused on serving disadvantaged communities within your community to define your community’s solar equity goals, develop implementation strategies, and establish a plan for tracking and reporting on progress. (Required for Platinum)
Community-based organizations can assist local governments to define and develop solar equity goals grounded in the needs and priorities of the community. Partnering with organizations that have strong ties with disadvantaged communities is an important way to ensure that solar projects and programs, as well as outreach efforts, are designed to meet the needs of those communities. For example, a local government, a CBO, and a local solar installer could come together to implement a solarize campaign customized to LMI households or to develop a targeted outreach strategy related to a community solar project. The partnership may have a scope that is broader than solar (for example, partnering on a range of climate-related goals or economic development initiatives) as long as it clearly includes solar deployment goals strategies. Developing a shared approach to tracking and reporting helps create transparency and accountability and can be an important component to building trust.
Recommended Verification: Signed memo summarizing the names of partner organizations, scope of the partnership, defined goals, outcomes (or intended outcomes), plan for tracking progress and next steps for the partnership.
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CE-3 (5 Points)
Post online resources about residential and commercial solar PV financing options and incentives.
Many different financing options are available for residential and commercial solar PV. Local governments can play an important role in providing access to information about available options. Information and resources posted should be made available in multiple languages as appropriate for your community. In addition, information and resources should be available to community members in print form if requested.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to this information on the solar landing page.
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CE-4 (5 Points)
Post online resources about consumer protection and solar PV.
Solar energy can be a new and complex topic for community members. Local governments can provide online guides and resources to help community members have a clear understanding of solar PV, allowing them to make informed decisions. Information and resources posted should be made available in multiple languages as appropriate for your community. In addition, information and resources should be available to community members in print form if requested.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to a webpage containing consumer protection resources.
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CE-5 (5 Points)
Post an online summary of state policies related to a property owner’s solar access and solar rights, including links to state-level policy.
Community members are often unaware that state policy could impact their property’s solar rights. Solar rights and solar access are terms which describe the ability of property owners to utilize sunlight on their property. Each state has its own unique policy and enforcement regime. Information and resources posted should be made available in multiple languages as appropriate for your community. In addition, information and resources should be available to community members in print form if requested.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to a webpage with summary of state policies relating to solar access and/or rights.
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CE-6 (5 Points)
Post an online summary of state policies related to Homeowner Associations (HOAs) ability to regulate and/or restrict solar PV, including links to state-level policy.
Homeowner Associations often aim to impose restrictive measures on solar PV systems. Community members should be aware of state policy that defines what HOAs are allowed and not allowed to do in terms of regulating solar PV systems.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to the summary of state policies relating to Homeowner Associations and solar PV.
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CE-7 (5 Points)
Post online resources about solar installers and/or solar quote platforms for solar PV.
More solar companies operating in your community means residents and businesses are faced with more choices as they consider who to select for their solar project. Providing relevant local information on active solar installers can help community members make the best choice given their circumstances. Information and resources posted should be made available in multiple languages as appropriate for your community. In addition, information and resources should be available to community members in print form if requested.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to a webpage that contains information about local solar installers and/or solar quote platforms.
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CE-8 (5 Points)
Post an online solar map for your community.
Solar maps can be a helpful and visual way to communicate solar potential to community members. Solar maps can be customized depending on the goals and needs of the community. For example, solar maps can provide community members with an estimate of the solar potential of their rooftop, they can be used the location of solar installations within a community (which may help residents understand the extent of solar projects happening in different parts of the community), or they may be used to communicate the potential for different solar installations (i.e., residential, commercial, large-scale, community solar, etc).
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to the solar map for your community.
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CE-9 (5 Points)
Post an online dashboard or summary of solar PV metrics for your community, including total installed solar PV capacity, solar PV + storage installations, and community solar and/or solarize subscribers (if applicable). Metrics should identify solar PV adoption in disadvantaged communities as well.
Key solar metrics such as the number of installations and total installed capacity can help communicate progress towards local and state renewable energy goals. Other related metrics could include the percentage of municipal energy provided by solar energy, installed capacity per capita and progress towards greenhouse gas emissions targets. In order to track progress toward equity goals, communities are encouraged to disaggregate data and report rates of solar PV adoption by income level or census track, as appropriate.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to a webpage displaying solar PV metrics. Include date when the information was last updated and date tracking began.
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CE-10 (5 Points)
Distribute solar job training and career opportunities in coordination with local colleges and/or workforce development organizations.
Solar jobs have grown 12 times faster than the U.S. economy since 2014. As local solar markets grow, local governments can promote solar job opportunities with community colleges and workforce development organizations to ensure a well-trained, local workforce. This can be done via a jobs fair, posting solar job training information to the community and local colleges/workforce development websites.
Recommended Verification: Provide posted job descriptions, screenshots from employment websites or advertisement of job trainings.
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CE-11 (5 Points)
Demonstrate local government support for local solar projects through speeches, press releases, opinion articles, etc.
Local governments can encourage solar market growth by highlighting solar energy goals, initiatives, and success stories through various communications strategies. Share the links and/or videos of communications efforts on the community’s solar landing page.
Recommended Verification: Provide a link to this information posted on the community’s website or solar landing page.
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CE-12 (10 Points)
Discuss solar PV goals and/or strategies for increasing solar PV development, including large-scale solar plans, solar access, and/or solar adoption in disadvantaged communities, within an appropriate committee, commission, taskforce, and/or working group. (e.g. solar is a recurring agenda item during monthly sustainability commission meetings).
An Environmental Advisory Council, Sustainability Committees, or Climate Action Taskforce is a great way to keep residents and key stakeholders actively engaged in community energy policy and development. These groups can assist in the development of solar energy goals and strategies, lead community-based solar initiatives, and provide communication and outreach support to inform community members about solar initiatives and plans.
Recommended Verification: Provide meeting minutes (including a list of follow-up action items) or materials prepared for the meeting (e.g., handouts and slides) from within the past year and provide documentation of the regularly scheduled frequency of these meetings.
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CE-13 (5 Points)
Support a solar informational session and/or solar tour explaining solar PV opportunities and policies. Show that session/tour was made accessible to all members of the community including those in disadvantaged communities. Session/Tour must have occurred within the last 2 years.
An engaged and informed community can encourage solar market growth and increase the likelihood that local homes and businesses will pursue solar installations. Solar informational sessions and solar tours are ways to educate community members about the solar energy and the processes involved with an installation. Hosting these sessions in disadvantaged communities, providing transportation, offering tours and materials in other languages, and partnering with a CBO are a few potential ways to increase participation and make these sessions more accessible to all residents.
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