[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Columbia receives SolSmart Gold Award for advancing solar energy growth

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Connie Kacprowicz, Columbia Water & Light
573-874-7325, wlmail at como.gov

Columbia receives “SolSmart Gold” Award for advancing solar energy growth

COLUMBIA, MO (September 26, 2016) - SolSmart, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, is awarding a gold designation to recognize Columbia, Missouri as a national leader in advancing solar energy.

As a SolSmart Gold designee, Columbia is receiving national recognition for adopting programs and practices that make it faster, easier, and cheaper to go solar. A SolSmart designation is a signal that the community is “open for solar business,” helping to attract solar industry investment and generate economic development and local jobs.

To achieve designation, cities and counties take steps to reduce solar “soft costs,” which are non-hardware costs that can increase the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system. Examples of soft costs include planning and zoning; permitting; financing; customer acquisition; and installation labor. Soft costs now represent roughly two-thirds of the total price of an installed residential system. Reducing these costs leads to savings that are passed on to consumers.

Columbia Water & Light started a photovoltaic rebate program in 2008 and offered customers their electric rate for any energy delivered to the community’s electric system. This favorable net metering rate combined with low-interest loans from the utility made it easier for Columbians to produce their own electricity. There was a 55 percent increase in customer installed systems from 2014 to 2015. Starting in October 2016, the City of Columbia is adjusting building codes so newer homes are solar ready. An example of this is to construct a roof for a home that will support the extra weight of a solar array.

The SolSmart designation team, led by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), evaluates communities and awards them points based on the actions they take to reduce soft costs and other barriers to solar. Communities that take sufficient action are designed either gold, silver, or bronze.

As part of the SolSmart program, all participating communities are eligible to request no-cost technical assistance from a team of national solar experts to help them achieve designation. The SolSmart technical assistance team is led by The Solar Foundation.

Launched in April 2016, SolSmart aims to designate 300 communities during the three-year, federally funded program.

About SolSmart

SolSmart is a national designation and technical assistance program that recognizes leading solar communities and empowers additional communities to expand their local solar markets. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative, SolSmart strives to cut red tape, drive greater solar deployment, and make it possible for even more American homes and businesses to access solar energy to meet their electricity needs. Learn more at SolSmart.org.

About the SunShot Initiative 

The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.



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