On April 4, 2023, the Mississippi Development Authority, Energy and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) to become a SolSmart State Partner – joining other State Energy Offices including the Colorado Energy Office; Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Virginia Department of Energy. SolSmart is a national program that helps local governments and regional organizations accelerate the deployment of solar energy through no-cost technical assistance. Since 2016, almost 500 local governments in the United States have achieved SolSmart designation for meeting national best practices to grow local solar energy markets. Mississippi Development Authority ENRD will support these efforts by recruiting cities and counties to apply for SolSmart designation, exploring ways to integrate SolSmart into their planned and existing relevant local programs, working with the SolSmart team to generate and maintain local government interest in designation, and identifying opportunities to promote SolSmart on their website and through other communications. Currently, only one county in the state is designated and the Mississippi Development Authority ENRD team will help identify additional cities and counties that would benefit from SolSmart technical assistance and designation. For more information on SolSmart visit the NASEO website here and the official Solsmart website here.