Most communities pursue multiple goals simultaneously through a range of plans, policies, regulations, and programs. The decisions communities make in support of one goal may have a positive, negative, or negligible effect on other goals. When a community considers each goal in isolation, it may miss opportunities to address potential conflicts before they occur. Once a conflict exists, it may be too late to pursue a mutually beneficial solution, and communities may be forced to choose between competing interests.

This is one in a series of briefing papers providing planners with guidance on promoting solar energy use in their communities to help meet local energy and sustainability goals. APA produced this paper through its participation in the SunShot Solar Outreach Partnership (SolarOPs), a U.S. Department of Energyfunded
initiative designed to help accelerate solar energy adoption on the local level by providing timely and actionable information to local governments.

Please visit our website at www.planning.org/research/solar/ to learn more about this series and APA’s participation in SolarOps.