SolSmart Designation

SolSmart is a national designation program that provides a framework for municipalities, counties, and regions to reduce soft costs and take measurable action to become more supportive of solar photovoltaic (PV) in their communities. Local governments that achieve the appropriate actions under SolSmart become designated as "solar friendly".  R1 is currently in the progress of attaining this designation in order to fulfill agency and regional goals.

Based on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, R1 staff have identified three goals for providing resources and technical assistance in regards to solar development in the Northern Illinois region.

Read R1’s Solar Statement as part of our application for Regional Designation under SolSmart here. R1 is available and committed to assisting Northern Illinois localities receive designation, contact Gabi Gamily, ggamily@r1planning.org, to learn more.

Gold Certified City of Freeport and Rockford have additional resources available on their city’s websites. Additional zoning and development information can be located through your municipalities’ website and Planning and Zoning offices.

• City of Rockford SolSmart Designation

• City of Freeport SolSmart Designation

Resources

Below is a collection of various resources that have been collected and/or produced by R1 and SolSmart Partners. These documents fulfill specific SolSmart requirements and have been designed to ease soft-costs for consumers and local governments.

Planning and Zoning Guidance for Local Governments

• SolSmart Resources

  • SolSmart Zoning Review Guide

  • Solar Power in Your Community Guidebook

  • Model Zoning for the Regulation of Solar Energy Systems - Department of Energy Resources, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

  • Applicant’s Guide for a Solar Energy System - San Diego County

  • Promoting Solar Energy Use Through Local Development Regulations - Training from the American Planning Association

  • Promoting Solar Energy Use Through Local Plans - Training from the American Planning Association

  • Implementing Solar PV Projects on Historic Buildings and in Historic Districts - National Trust for Historic Preservation

  • Installing Solar Panels on Historic Buildings - North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center

Permitting

• Sample Checklists

  • R1’s Model Solar Permitting Checklist

  • Model Permitting Checklist

• Example of Region 1 municipalities’ checklists

  • City of Rockford Solar Checklist

  • City of Freeport Solar Checklist

• Sample Solar Permit Application

  • Dekalb County Solar Permit Application

  • City of Byron Solar Installation Permit Application

  • City of Dekalb Solar Permit Application

Inspection

• R1 Inspection Checklist

• Model Inspection Checklist

Consumer Protection

• Going Solar in America: A Customer Guide

• Consumer Protection

• Solar Customer Resource Portal

• ISEA Code of Conduct

Energy Efficiency

• Ways to Save - For Your Home

• Ways to Save - For Your Business

• Portfolio Manager

• Earn Energy Start Certification

Solar Metrics Maps

• Google Project Sunroof

• ComEd Solar Calculator

Solar PV Workshop Recording

• Ready, Set, Solar: Consumer Resources Webinar. To register, click here.

• The Nuts and Bolts of Solar PV Planning and Zoning Webinar. To register, click here.

Solar Videos

• Virtual Illinois Solar Tour