On November 30, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) hosted a webinar about the SolSmart designation program and its commitment to equitable solar deployment. The webinar featured a roundtable discussion with SolSmart participants from a variety of communities on how they have infused equity into their solar deployment work. The webinar speakers were:
- Theresa Perry, SolSmart Program Director, IREC
- Toyah Callahan, SolSmart Program Deputy Director, IREC
- Nick Kasza, Program Manager, Sustainability, National League of Cities
- Jon-Paul d'Aversa, Principal, UNPREDICTABLE.city
- Alon Abramson, Director, Residential Programs, Philadelphia Energy Authority
- Neal Denton, Sustainability Officer, City of Santa Fe
- Garrett Nilsen, Acting Director, SETO
Led by IREC and the International City/County Management Association, SolSmart is a national designation program that helps local governments make it faster, easier, and more affordable for residents and businesses to go solar. SolSmart communities are reducing permit times; streamlining zoning codes; installing solar on local facilities; launching solar group buy programs; and much more.
Over 400 communities were designated SolSmart Bronze, Silver, or Gold as of November 2021. This webinar helped DOE progress towards its goal to achieve 60 new SolSmart designees by March 2022.