NACo is excited to announce the return of the SolSmart County Challenge, as a national competition for counties to Think SolSmart and showcase their commitment to advancing solar energy.
The 2017 SolSmart County Challenge is a component of the larger SolSmart program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. The SolSmart program aims to nationally recognize solar-leading communities across the country, while empowering counties and cities to become more solar-friendly through no-cost technical assistance.
DEADLINE EXTENDED: The deadline to enter to compete in the 2017 SolSmart County Challenge has been extended to Friday, June 23rd . Counties can join the competition challenge by simply completing the SolSmart designation scorecard by this new, extended deadline.
Ultimately, two counties will be named winners for the 2017 SolSmart County Challenge. These counties will be the highest scoring county in the SolSmart Standard Scoring Criteria, in addition to the highest scoring county in the new SolSmart Modified Scoring Criteria. The new Modified Scoring Criteria was specifically developed for counties who cannot meet the standard designation prerequisites due to lack of zoning or permitting authority/jurisdiction. More information and detail regarding this new scoring criteria can be found HERE
Prizes for both winning counties will include:
- Travel & lodging for NACo’s 2017 Annual Conference & Exposition, July 21-24 Franklin County, Columbus, Ohio (for 1 person*)
- Presentation opportunity on future NACo webinar and/or podcast
- Recognition in all NACo communication platforms including County News, NACo e-blast, NACo Blog, Resilient Counties newsletter, and NACo social media platforms.
- SolSmart County Challenge 1st Place Certificate
This year’s SolSmart County Challenge follows the pilot competition in 2016, in which Charleston County, S.C and Inyo County, Calif. received 1st and 2nd Place, respectively. Inyo County received the SolSmart Bronze designation as well, while Charleston County worked its way from Bronze to SolSmart Silver in 2017.
It is very important to note that ALL counties that participate in the 2017 SolSmart County Challenge will still have the opportunity to WIN and be SolSmart Designated, despite not winning the County Challenge! Moreover, any county that applies for SolSmart is eligible for no-cost technical assistance from a team of national solar experts to help become more solar friendly and reach designation.
For any additional information please contact Jack Morgan at jmorgan@naco.org or 202-942-4274. You can also visit www.solsmart.org for any and all information on the SolSmart program.
