Town of Holly Springs issued the following announcement on Sept. 10.
The Town of Holly Springs, NC is receiving a Silver designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar.
SolSmart is led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. More than 450 municipalities, counties, and regional organizations have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016.
“The improvements made as a result of pursuing SolSmart Silver designation will have a positive impact on the adoption of renewable energy in the Town,” said Greg Sponseller, Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Holly Springs.
“Our achievement of the SolSmart Silver designation has helped us do that by improving internal Town processes, providing additional resources for consumers, and eliminating restrictions in the Town’s Unified Development Ordinance.”
As a SolSmart designee, the Town of Holly Springs, NC is helping solar companies reduce the cost of installations and pass those savings on to consumers. This allows even more local homes and businesses to obtain affordable, clean, and reliable electricity through solar. The actions our Town has taken will help encourage solar companies to do business in the area, driving economic development and creating local jobs.
To receive the 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 and inspection processes, as well as planning and zoning procedures. SolSmart uses objective criteria to award communities points based on the actions they take to reduce barriers to solar energy growth. Communities that take sufficient action are designated either Gold, Silver, or Bronze.
Some of the specific actions and efforts Holly Springs has implemented as a SolSmart Silver designee include codifying solar in the Unified Development Ordinance to eliminate restrictions to the installation of small, on-site systems, training Development Services staff on solar-related permitting and inspections, streamlining the permitting process for solar installations, and hosting a solar landing page on the Town website with information and resources for consumers.
This designation recognizes the Town of Holly Springs for taking bold steps to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles to solar development. For companies looking to expand, a SolSmart Silver designation is a signal that Holly Springs, NC is “open for solar business.”
Learn more about the benefits and how to go solar in Holly Springs on our website.
Original source can be found here.
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