New Hampshire Communities Make Strides in Affordable Energy Access as Cities Earn SolSmart Designation

At the Local Clean Energy Solutions Conference in Manchester, New Hampshire on September 25, representatives from multiple local governments gathered to celebrate a national recognition: six municipalities earned SolSmart designation for solar readiness. Working with Clean Energy New Hampshire and the SolSmart program, these municipalities are reducing costs, removing barriers, and increasing access to the cheapest source of energy in the U.S., solar power.

The solar-friendly actions these local governments took are already seeing benefits. Barrington, New Hampshire (SolSmart Gold) installed solar on their town hall and library and this year have seen over $15,000 in savings on their electricity bills. Each of the municipalities undertook similar steps to expand solar locally, with a particular focus on eliminating “soft costs,” or non-hardware expenses such as permitting delays and labyrinthine zoning processes, involved in installation. In practice, that meant streamlining solar permitting, assessing current zoning regulations against best practices, and in some cases drafting new regulations for local review. These communities have also provided educational resources about solar for residents, adopted up-to-date electricity codes, and more.

Along with Barrington’s Gold recognition, Thursday’s designees included Hampton and Stratham (Silver), and Milton, Hopkinton, and Dublin (Bronze). At least a dozen more New Hampshire communities are expected to earn SolSmart designation in the weeks and months ahead.  

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 (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). Over 550 cities, towns, counties, and regional organizations have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016. SolSmart provides free technical support for local governments to improve planning and zoning for solar energy, reduce red tape, train municipal staff, and develop local strategies for solar development. Designations of Bronze, Silver, or Gold are awarded based on the extent of a community's actions in these areas.

“So many community members approached me today to say they ‘get it’ now and want to do their part,” said Sarah Brock of Clean Energy New Hampshire. “The actions of these communities—some small, some large, all impactful—really do improve access to solar, and we’re prepared to help many more towns follow in their footsteps.”

“The SolSmart program is comprehensive, well instructed, and highly recommended. The zoning components of the program have been especially helpful to Hampton,” said Jason Bachand, Town Planner of Hampton. “It was also encouraging to learn that there was much that Hampton was already doing well, and that we were able to quickly build upon, enough so to earn the Silver designation.”

“We are honored to receive SolSmart’s Bronze designation, affirming Dublin’s commitment to providing a transparent and efficient process for residents looking to move forward with solar installations,” said Dublin Selectwoman Susan Peters.

One of the key considerations for participating communities was the recent increase in large-scale solar projects being proposed in New Hampshire. The SolSmart training program included best practices for regulating large-scale solar and worked with Clean Energy New Hampshire to develop a model ordinance that local governments across the state could adopt. 

Local governments across the U.S. are taking advantage of SolSmart’s free technical assistance. Learn and join the program here.

Clean Energy New Hampshire | https://www.cleanenergynh.org/

SolSmart | https://solsmart.org/