The City of St. Louis Park has received the Silver designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar.
This designation recognizes St. Louis Park for taking bold steps to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles to solar development. SolSmart is led by the Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. More than 380 cities and counties have achieved SolSmart designation since the program began in 2016.
To receive designation, cities and counties make changes to their local processes to reduce the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system. This includes evaluating local permitting processes, as well as planning and zoning procedures.
SolSmart uses objective criteria to award points to communities based on the actions taken to reduce barriers to solar energy development. Communities that take sufficient action are designated gold, silver or bronze.
St. Louis Park first received SolSmart designation in 2018. Over the past several years, the city has:
- Created an online permitting checklist
- Reviewed local zoning codes and identified restrictions to solar development
- Allowed solar by-right accessory use in all zones, so installers don’t require special permits or hearings
- Trained both inspections and permitting staff on solar
- Hosted Solar Power Hour group buy programs
- Created an online solar suitability map.
In early 2021, the city also launched Solar Sundown, a cost share pilot program that allows qualifying property owners to receive a 4% - 6% reimbursement on their solar investment this year.
“St. Louis Park is proud to have achieved SolSmart Silver designation through the additional actions staff has taken this year,” said Brian Hoffman, director of the city’s building and energy department. “We are excited to continue breaking down barriers to solar installation in our community to achieve our Climate Action Plan goals.”
Visit the SolSmart website for more information about SolSmart designation. Visit the solar page for information about the city’s solar opportunities.
