Project Details

In the last two decades, technological developments have dramatically reduced the cost of installing solar photovoltaic systems in the United States, and large-scale solar projects have experienced a new surge in market share. According to the American Clean Power Annual Market Report, the US added a total of 33.8 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale clean energy projects in 2023, a 12.5% increase from the previous annual installation record set in 2021. Utility-scale solar saw an increase of 14.2 GW, accounting for 55% of the overall development pipeline. Because of this increase, many local governments are now experiencing the development of large-scale solar projects in their communities. 

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Solar@Scale is a partnership between the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the American Planning Association (APA) that aims to help cities, towns, counties, and special districts understand and realize the potential benefits of large-scale solar development. 

How Solar@Scale Helps Your Community

ICMA and APA convened a steering committee of stakeholders representing the private and public sector with expertise in public administration, planning, economic development and solar development to identify strategies for overcoming common local barriers to the development of large-scale solar in communities of all sizes across the United States. Additionally, the Solar@Scale team developed a comprehensive guidebook and has translated these strategies into easily digestible trainings, webinars, and workshops that outline scalable tools for planners and local officials. As of March 2024, the Solar@Scale team has trained over 2,600 local government officials to help improve local planning and development processes, and to align large-scale solar projects with community goals.  

Solar@Scale Guidebook

The purpose of this guidebook is to help local government practitioners—including planners, economic development professionals, local government managers, and elected and appointed officials—make decisions that improve large-scale solar development outcomes.The Third Edition of the Solar@Scale guidebook was published on the ICMA website on January 30, 2024. 

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Solar@Scale Webinar Series

The 9-part webinar series followed the publication of the guidebook and begins with an overview of the entire Solar@Scale guidebook. The following eight parts follow the topics of the eight modules in the guidebook, from understanding the market for large-scale solar development, to improving land-use decision-making, to zoning and community planning for large-scale solar. Each webinar includes real-world community examples and takeaways from a variety of speakers who work in local government and the solar industry across the nation. 

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Free Hands-on Workshops

To help local officials further their understanding of large-scale solar, ICMA is conducting a series of half-day hands-on workshops based on the Solar@Scale guidebook:

• Free training customized to your interests, issues, and specific situation.
• Educators leading the workshop are experienced in both the science and how solar projects fit in with such local government concerns as permitting.
• All materials included.
• Option for remote access.

No-cost in-person workshops only require meeting space, outreach to your staff and others interested in attending, and light coordination on logistics.

Sign Up for Updates and Events

For more information about Solar@Scale, contact ICMA program director, Debra Perry, at dperry@icma.org.