Doraville has received a Bronze designation from the national SolSmart program for making it faster, easier, and more affordable for homes and businesses to go solar! This designation recognizes Doraville for taking bold steps to encourage solar energy growth and remove obstacles to solar development. For companies looking to expand, a SolSmart Bronze designation is a signal that Doraville is “open for solar business.” Doraville is the third city in Georgia to receive this designation in addition to Atlanta and Savannah. DeKalb County, Putnam County, and Athens-Clarke County are also designees.
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 Solar Energy Technologies Office. More than 400 cities, counties, and small towns have achieved SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016.
“We are proud to be a state leader in renewable energy,” said Mayor Joseph Geierman. “I hope that other cities see the example we have set to make it easier for their residents to invest in green energy and combat the climate crisis which threatens all of us. This is just our first step in building our solar capabilities and we are continuing to explore new ways to thrust Doraville into the future.”
As a SolSmart designee, Doraville is helping solar companies greatly reduce the cost of installations and pass those savings on to consumers. This allows even more local homes and businesses to obtain affordable, clean, and reliable electricity through solar. The actions Doraville 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.
On November 17, 2021, Doraville adopted an ordinance allowing rooftop solar panels by right in all zoning districts. The intent of this ordinance is to promote sustainable energy, make it easier to install solar, define types of solar installation, and provide a permitting process for solar in Doraville.
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 municipalities, counties, and regional organizations are eligible to join the SolSmart program and receive this technical assistance. Interested communities can learn more at SolSmart.org.
More details and the full ordinance can be found on the city’s website.