Solar Energy Resources

Getting Started with Solar

The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission is seeking ways to encourage solar energy development in our communities. This webpage represents a collection of solar information and resources for local government and residents. Our community’s solar goals can be found in the February 2025 Solar Statement.  For more information about the basics of solar energy, your solar options, and questions to ask solar professionals, read the Residential Consumer Guide to Solar Power and visit the Department of Energy’s Homeowner’s Guide to Going Solar.

MVRPC supports local governments in the Miami Valley working to become a SolSmart designated communities. SolSmart communities implement best practices to make it easier for residents and businesses to install and access solar energy. SolSmart is a national program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that has helped hundreds of local governments become “open for solar business.” Learn more about the program here.

In our Region, the City of Springboro has been recognized as a SolSmart Bronze designee for implementing best practices that make it easier for residents and businesses to install and access solar energy.

Policies and Processes

A local government’s approach to zoning and development can have a significant impact on solar energy growth. The inclusion of solar energy zoning best practices provides a foundation that can help facilitate the growth of solar energy, while balancing other development priorities in a community. While more cities and counties have included solar energy zoning best practices in their land use regulations, many local zoning approaches still inadvertently discourage solar energy.

Take a look at these regional examples of local government approaches to regulating and encouraging solar development in their communities.

• The City of Kettering has this handy 2-page fact sheet informing residents about the regulations for roof-mounted solar Panel Arrays.
• The City of Springboro has set up a single page for Residential Solar Permitting.
• Several cities have specific sections of codes for solar or renewable energy. Here are examples from…
  
  • The City of Troy – see Section 1151.14
  • The City of Beavercreek – see Section 158.102
  • The City of Springboro

The National League of Cities has published a Best Practices Guide for Solar and Zoning. This guide includes model code, with specific examples for historic districts, and approaches to incentivizing solar development in your community.

The Benefits of Going Solar

Solar energy uses a renewable energy source – the sun – and provides many benefits for individuals and the region. It improves environmental quality by reducing carbon emissions and air pollution, supports local solar companies in Ohio, creates local jobs, saves money on energy costs, and improves electric grid resilience during peak demand and other stresses to the system.

Ohio Solar Context

Multiple State agencies participate in the development and regulation of solar energy in Ohio.

• The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and
• The Ohio Power Siting Board are direct regulators of utility scale solar energy. The site includes a link to an online map of utility scale renewable energy sites.
• The Ohio Department of Development has multiple energy efficiency programs.
• The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority manages solar development programs statewide.

AES Ohio, which serves much of the Dayton region, has developed a start page for solar interconnection projects. They also maintain a list of energy suppliers ("CRES") that are registered to sell electricty in the AES-Ohio Service Area. Many of these suppliers provide electricity all- or partially-sourced from renewables.

Here are some resources for Ohio Law related to renewable energy, including solar:

• Franklin County Law Library
• Local Governments and Renewable Energy from Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO)
• Solar United Neighbors (SUN) has a resource page with a series of Ohio-specific Factsheets on a variety of solar-related topics.

Solar Maps and Potential

Investigate your property’s solar potential by clicking here. You can also estimate the performance of potential PV projects using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PVWatts Calculator.

Solar Energy in the Miami Valley

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio maintains an online dashboard of Distributed Energy Resources in Ohio, based on over 29,000 interconnections (as of the fourth quarter of 2024). This online tool allows you to filter by utility, and by renewable source. It also includes “energy storage” as a category. For the Miami Valley’s largest electric utility, AES-Ohio, the dashboard reports just over 3,000 solar and storage interconnections with a total capacity of 33,181 kW.

AES-Ohio is not the leader in Ohio in terms of renewable energy interconnections, but the PUCO data shows tremendous growth in interconnections since 2019.

The dashboard also includes a feature to map interconnection sites. This screenshot (as of Q4 2024) shows the current distribution of solar and storage interconnection agreements in the Miami Valley.

Local Solar Projects

• Miami Treatment Solar Project from the City of Dayton.
• Kettering City Schools saves hundreds of thousands of dollars per year with a solar array on the Middle School.
• The City of Springboro placed solar PV on the roofs of park buildings and shelters in four city parks. These systems cut power usage from the grid at these parks by 80%.
• The City of Franklin recently completed a solar project at the city water treatment facility.
• The City of Xenia has a solar array at the Glady Run wastewater treatment plant.

Finding a Contractor and Going Solar

Find a solar contractor(s) to assess your home or business for solar energy and provide a quote.

• Certified practitioners can be found through NABCEP.
• Visit EnergySage to learn about solar energy and submit for solar quotes from a network of pre-screened, local solar installers
• Solar Customer Resource Portal – various resources from SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association.
• Solar Owner’s Manual – information for current solar homeowners to ensure they are getting the most out of their system from Solar United Neighbors.

Financing, Incentives, and Tax Exemptions

Typically, solar installations are paid for through loans, upfront payments, or a power purchase agreement (PPA). Federal and State incentives are available to help make solar an affordable option.

• Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics – learn about the federal tax credit, eligibility, and other common questions & answers from the U.S. Department of Energy.
• A Homeowner’s Guide to Solar Financing – learn about different financing options from CESA, the Clean Energy States Alliance.

Federal Incentives: There are many new incentives and funding opportunities available for solar and other clean energy technologies. 

• A great place for residents to start identifying the federal incentives for which they are eligible is this calculator from Rewiring America. The rebates and incentives available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act can vary depending on your location and income.
• Additional details about benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act can be found on the EPA’s website or the Department of Energy website.
• The Federal Investment Tax Credit for residential solar continues to be one of the most significant ways to reduce the cost of your solar PV system. Learn more about the federal tax credit, eligibility, and other common questions & answers in the Homeowner’s Guide to the Federal Tax Credit for Solar Photovoltaics from the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Businesses should refer to the Federal Solar Tax Credits for Businesses.
• Some solar projects will be eligible for bonus credits on top of the 30% Investment Tax Credit. The Inflation Reduction Act provides up to 20% in bonus credits for qualified solar or wind facilities developed in low-income communities; up to 10% bonus for projects located in “energy communities” that have a historic fossil-fuel economy, high unemployment or are developing solar on a brownfield; and 10% domestic content bonus for projects using the required amounts of U.S.-produced steel, iron and manufactured products.
• The World Resources Institute has created an IRA Bonus Mapper tool to help identify communities that are eligible for the low income and energy community bonus credits.
• Tax-exempt organizations, including non-profit organizations, schools and government entities, can now take advantage of the federal tax credit through “elective pay” (sometimes referred to as “direct pay.”) An overview of elective pay and Frequently Asked Questions are available from the IRS.

State and local incentives:

• Information about state incentives can be found in this database maintained by the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center.
• Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) – provide state-specific information on incentives and policies that support renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States.

Consumer Protections, Solar Rights, and Procedures

Useful resources on solar rights, consumer protection, and procedures.

• Consumer Solar Checklist – a checklist for residential consumers considering solar energy from IREC, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
• Solar United Neighbors’ Solar Owner’s Manual - serves as a support for solar homeowners whether you’ve just gone solar or you’ve had solar for years.
• Clean Energy Consumer Bill of Rights – ensure a positive consumer experience by addressing important issues from IREC, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Encouraging Solar Development through Community Association Policies and Processes – includes details on how communities can encourage solar development through community association policies and processes.

Job Training and Educational Opportunities

The clean energy economy has and will create business and employment opportunities across the regiona and state. Solar Installer workforce training programs exist across Ohio to prepare the workforce for these jobs. Programs exist at:

• Cincinnati State
• Ohio Laborers' Training Center
• Franklin University has a series of online training courses related to renewable energy

Learn more about the Interstate Renewable Energy Council's clean energy workforce development strategy.

Energy

Energy systems are in the midst of historic transitions and local governments can benefit from these advancements.

A historic transition in the energy market has been felt right here in the Miami Valley. The former Dayton Power & Light shut down the six coal-fired generating units at Hutchings Station in Montgomery County in 2012 in favor of natural gas generation. Nearly all baseload electricity generated in our Region is fueled by natural gas, but the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio lists over 3,000 renewable energy interconnection agreements in the AES-Ohio service area. Together, these facilities have a capacity of over 31,000 kW.

Download the Energy chapter from 2019.