The town has been awarded for encouraging solar energy growth by the federal Department of Energy.

Dartmouth received a bronze designation through the department's SolSmart program, and will be nationally recognized for adopting programs and practices that make it faster, easier, and cheaper to go solar, said town officials.

“Dartmouth is honored to be one of only three municipalities in the Commonwealth recognized by SolSmart,” said Town Administrator David Cressman. “This recognition provides independent confirmation of Dartmouth’s initiatives to be a leading producer of solar power within the Commonwealth as well as Dartmouth’s adoption and use of industry ‘best practices.'"

The town earned the designation for reducing solar costs in categories such as permitting, inspection, community engagement, and market development and finance, said Dartmouth's Energy Manager Shawn Luz via a press release. He explained that the new practices, and furthermore SolSmart designation, help to attract solar industry investment, and generate economic development and jobs.

The town's participation in the Dartmouth Solar Challenge and the approximately 37 megawatts of installed solar capacity throughout the community added to the town's designation, said Luz.

As part of the SolSmart program, all participating communities are eligible to request no-cost technical assistance from a team of national solar experts to help them achieve designation. The SolSmart technical assistance team is led by The Solar Foundation.

The SolSmart designation team, led by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), evaluates communities and awards them points based on the actions they take to reduce costs and other barriers to going solar. Communities that take sufficient action are designed either gold, silver, or bronze. As a bronze designee, Dartmouth will now have the opportunity to earn additional points to qualify as silver or gold.

Launched in April 2016, SolSmart aims to designate 300 communities during the three-year, federally-funded program.

Dartmouth has been awarded previously by the International City Management Association and Department of Energy Resources as a leader in sustainability. In February, the town received a green community designation from the state.