Communities adopt local plans in order to chart courses for more sustainable and livable futures. Planners and public officials then use these plans to inform decisions that affect the social, economic, and physical growth and change of their communities. Given the potential economic and environmental benefits of local solar energy production, it is no wonder that an increasing number of cities and counties are addressing solar energy in their plans.

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.