Are you a part of a local government unit that wants to adopt solar energy? Good news! The U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative has created a new website, the SunShot Solar Outreach Partnership (SolarOPs) that helps local governments adopt solar energy by providing timely and actionable information.
Local governments will receive the information that they need to further their current solar energy projects or start new solar energy projects through educational workshops, peer-to-peer sharing opportunities, research-based reports, and online resources from SolarOPs. The Department of Energy has selected the International City/County Management Association and ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability USA to perform the work of SolarOPs.
If you are looking to adopt solar energy as a local government, you can start by going to their website and searching their events and resources to find information that will be most helpful to begin your project. You’ll find upcoming events and seminars, past events that you can access through videos, podcasts, and blogs, and research reports that detail information regarding solar energy projects.
Be sure to check out SolarOPs for information to adopt solar energy projects at your local government! Their website is http://solaroutreach.org. Let’s get to work!
You’re not alone in thinking about solar. You can click here to see case studies of local government solar projects from CERTs. Also, all of the local governments mapped below are working with the Minnesota Solar Challenge, which provides support for communities that may be interested in capturing the benefit of their local solar energy resource.
The Minnesota Solar Challenge is working with communities across Minnesota to help them implement best practices in permitting and zoning for solar energy. The local governments on the map below are those that are receiving direct technical assistance and that attended one of several best practices workshops.
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{width:25%}=.  Technical Assistance Recipients |
{width:25%}=.  Regional Workshop Attendees |
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Recent webinar: On December 5th, 2013 Brian Ross with CR Planning led an hour-long webinar to help attendees learn about the solar energy best practices in planning, zoning, and permitting that we recommend for advancing solar in your community. Watch the webinar on YouTube or below to learn more, and click here to download Brian’s slides (9.5 mb ppt).
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This year-long effort tells the stories of nearly 50 Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
Local Government Energy Action is brought to you by the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resource
