The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) have launched a new effort, Energy Ready, to support local governments with free technical assistance related to planning, zoning, and permitting distributed energy generation.
Energy Ready is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and will help local governments expand and improve on distributed solar, wind energy, and EV charging.
The program will build on SolSmart’s success with helping communities break down barriers to solar energy access; it is a culmination of SolSmart, the new Charging Smart program, and the soon-to-be started Distributed Wind Smart program.
By bringing the three programs together, it’ll be easier for local governments to analyze and potentially streamline efforts across various energy technologies. Communities will be designated “bronze”, “silver”, “gold”, or “platinum” depending on the steps they take to improve their processes and cut red tape.
“Hundreds of communities across the country have saved time and money thanks to the successful SolSmart program,” said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE, in a statement. “DOE is excited to support the expansion of this model to EV charging and distributed wind, making it easier for communities to adopt the technologies that are right for them. By reducing barriers to deployment, Energy Ready will help more Americans cut energy costs and increase efficiencies and energy independence.”
Read more here.