Solar maps are innovative tools that can provide easy answers to these questions. They can help inform policy decisions, educate consumers, drive technological development, increase manufacturing capacity, and improve marketing methods. This briefing paper explains what solar maps are, how they work, and how communities can benefit from their use.

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.