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Cambridge Recognized for Advancing Solar Energy Growth

11/29/2017 • 7 years ago

The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 7 years ago.

In October, the City of Cambridge was awarded a Bronze-level Community designation from SolSmart, a national program supported by the U.S. Department of Energy that provides recognition and technical assistance to help local governments reduce barriers to solar energy growth. 

The award recognizes Cambridge’s efforts to provide resources and support to make the process of converting to solar energy faster, easier, and more affordable for Cambridge homeowners, property managers, and businesses. 

Cambridge also received special recognition in the “Community Engagement” category for its exemplary public outreach efforts, its climate advisory board, the Climate Protection Action Committee, and its Sunny Cambridge campaign to help residents go solar for the best price. 

“We are proud to be nationally recognized for our efforts to promote solar energy in Cambridge,” said Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development. “The Cambridge Energy Alliance conducts extensive outreach to inform the community about solar resources and options, and programs like Sunny Cambridge and the Multi-Family Energy Pilot are designed to make converting to solar energy an easy process for property owners. We look forward to continuing to promote solar energy through outreach and innovative programs.” 

SolSmart uses objective criteria to award points to communities based on the actions they take to reduce barriers to solar energy development. These actions range from implementing zoning and construction codes to promote solar energy, collaborating with utility companies for widespread solar implementation, engaging the community in solar development, and encouraging solar market growth and financial innovation.

Cambridge was awarded bronze for its efforts, which include:

• An online permitting application system and solar checklists
• Easy access to detailed online solar information, including guidelines for residential installation, consumer advice about solar options, and general information about the solar process 
• Efforts to grow the local solar market by installing arrays on public buildings, conducting feasibility studies, and providing a public map that residents can use to check their solar potential 

“The City’s SolSmart designation reflects the significant steps that Cambridge has taken to make it easier for residents to convert to solar energy,” said Susanne Rasmussen, Director of Environmental & Transportation Planning. “Renewable energy is crucial to the City’s efforts to combat climate change.” 

Cambridge pursued its SolSmart designation in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and received no-cost technical assistance from a team of national experts. City staff are continuing to work with SolSmart to achieve a Gold designation. 

SolSmart is led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative. More than 140 cities, counties, and small towns have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016. For more information about the Solsmart designation, visit SolSmart.org.