Will County Gazette

Will County has been named a leading community for its promotion of solar power in the 2017 SolSmart program by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), according to a county press release.

The program is part of the U.S. Energy Department-funded SunShot Initiative initiative encouraging the use of solar power and green practices by reducing costs and regulations.

Five months ago, Will County became the first municipality in the state to receive a SolSmart designation, the release said. Now it is a SolSmart Gold designee -- the only one in Illinois -- for its preparations for the increasing use of solar power.

“I am proud of the efforts of our Land Use Department to encourage the use of solar power in our county,” Will County Executive Larry Walsh said in the release. “By including solar energy as an option on our county’s building permits, we are encouraging our residents to utilize solar energy whenever possible. Will County is committed to embracing green practices to preserve our natural resources.”

The Will County Solar Source site is among the resources that propelled the county to receive the Gold designation, according to the release. The site includes information about financing, educational items, project considerations and consumer resources.

Visit www.SolSmart.org for more information about the designation.