Park City, Utah Designated “SolSmart Gold” for Advancing Solar Energy Growth

Post Date:11/26/2018 4:32 PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Celia Peterson
celia.peterson@parkcity.org
435.287.5624


Park City, Utah Designated “SolSmart Gold” for Advancing Solar Energy Growth

 

PARK CITY, UTAH (November 26, 2018) – Park City, Utah received a Gold designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar.

This designation recognizes Park City for taking bold steps to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles for solar development. For companies looking to expand, a SolSmart Gold designation is a signal that Park City is “open for solar business.”

SolSmart, led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. More than 200 cities, counties, and small towns have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016. Park City is one of 91 SolSmart Gold designees. This is especially notable as Utah is a non-home rule state, which means that Park City is not allowed to set its own energy code. Only six communities in non-home rule states have achieved SolSmart Gold.

“We have a clear path to 100% renewables by adopting a mix of energy efficiency measures, working with our utility to build new renewables, and producing solar energy from our rooftops. We want to make it practical and economic for all Parkites to harvest their energy directly from the sun. To achieve SolSmart Gold, we have modified our code to encourage our residents to adopt rooftop solar.  We know that local renewables are of local economic benefit and provide clean, cheap energy for our community. This is our future and we are proud to receive this designation,” commented Mayor Andy Beerman.

As a SolSmart designee, Park City can help solar companies reduce the cost of installations and pass savings on to consumers. This allows even more local homes and businesses to obtain affordable, clean, and reliable electricity through solar. The actions Park City has taken will help encourage solar companies to do business in the area, driving economic development and creating local jobs.

To receive designation, cities and counties make changes to their local processes to reduce the time and money it takes to install a solar energy system. This includes evaluating local permitting processes, as well as planning and zoning procedures. SolSmart designees also develop innovations in areas such as market development and finance.

For example, Park City waives permitting fees and has a streamlined process to ensure that solar systems can be permitting within two business days.

SolSmart uses objective criteria to award communities points based on the actions they take to reduce barriers to solar energy development. Communities that take sufficient action are designated either gold, silver, or bronze.

As part of the SolSmart program, a team of national experts provides no-cost technical assistance to help communities achieve designation. All cities and counties are eligible to join the SolSmart program and receive this technical assistance. Interested communities can learn more at SolSmart.org.

 

###

 

About Park City Municipal Corporation 
Park City Municipal Corporation is the government seat for Park City, Utah. A former silver mining town, Park City is now home to two world-class ski resorts and was the mountain host for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games. The town of 7,500 also hosts many special events, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Kimball Arts Festival. For more information, please visit www.parkcity.org.

Return to full list >>

Departments » Sustainability » For Homes

Buy Renewable Energy

Print
Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option
Font Size: + -

Utilities all over the country now are including more and more renewable energy generation sources in their power mix. Renewable energy comes from wind farms, solar systems, geothermal, and some sources of hydro power.

Utilities do one of two things to get renewable energy for their customers. They either own and produce their own power from a renewable energy plant like a wind farm, or they buy Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from a renewable energy producer. These RECs are essentially the green attributes of the power and can be sold independently of the actual electricity.

Right here in our own area, Rocky Mountain Power offers it's customers the chance to buy Blue Sky Renewable Energy, which comes from wind and solar energy in the surrounding region. By purchasing green power, you lower your carbon footprint as well as encourage the development of new renewable energy projects so we can start phasing out our fossil fuel energy sources. Blue Sky power is sold in 100 kilowatt-hour (kWh) increments or 'blocks' and cost $1.95 per block. You can buy as many or as few of blocks as you want and is completely voluntary. On average about 10 blocks a month will cover 100% of a home's electricity use. For example: If your average electricity use every month is 850 kWh, if you guy 8 blocks of Blue Sky, you'll almost offset all your power with renewable energy. If you buy 9, you'll be over 100%. Buying 1 block per month for a whole year would equate to planting 65 trees or not driving your car for 1,474 miles. To purchase blocks of renewable energy from RMP, go to Blue Sky Renewable Energy and "sign up now" at the bottom of the page, or call 1-800-769-3717 and an agent will take care of you.