Interested in solar energy for your home or business? Our best resources are on our Solar-Ease page. We've hosted workshops to equip Missoulians with knowledge and resources to go solar.  These resources, including short videos on how to "go solar" in Montana, and financing help, are available at solar-ease.
From solar roofs to solar ovens, photovoltaics are taking the world by storm! With the price of solar panels continuing to drop, this source of energy has become significantly more affordable.  Here's the information you need to consider adding solar to your energy portfolio and to be a solar advocate.  Learn about policy, net metering, community solar and more. Keep reading to find out how Solarize Missoula helped 45 residents install rooftop solar in just one year. 
Use these buttons to skip down the page to each section, or just scroll through!

Let's be clear, solar benefits everyone. It's downright brilliant.
SEIN - The Solar Energy Innovation Network 
Climate Smart Missoula is part of the core Montana Team that received competitive grant to be part of SEIN, a project of the Dept. of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL). 

Our project is the "Montana Solar Powered Transportation Initiative" which is best explained in our Press Release. 

The Team is Climate Smart's Amy together with Andrew Valainis (Montana Renewable Energy Association), Kyla Maki (MT Dept of Environmental Quality), Natalie Meyer (City of Bozeman), Chase Jones (City of Missoula), Karin Hilding (City of Whitefish) and Alicia with Yellowstone-Teton Clean Cities.  
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SEIN Team at the NREL headquarters

Policy in Montana

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Net Metering:  Many Missoulians have solar arrays "net metered" into the grid, through Northwestern Energy or a local co-op.  Net metering customers generate power for on-site use, plus receive a credit on their electricity bill for each kilowatt hour of electricity that they export back to the utility grid, with credits carrying forward month to month over a 12 month period. We are lucky to have net metering here in Montana (not all states do!) but there are lots of ways our current laws could be improved to ensure solar energy works better for more Montanans, such as increasing the cap on net-metered systems (currently at 50 kW) allowing aggregate net metering, and expanding virtual net metering (a.k.a. community solar) through investor-owned utilities.  The best source for all things net-metering and solar policy is the Montana Renewable Energy Association. 

PACE - Property Assessed Capital Enhancements:
In 2021, the Montana Legislature enabled PACE, and Missoula County has now adopted the program! This is a great new financing option for commercial and nonprofit entities. Head here for more information: lastbestpace.com
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The policy landscape

Expanding solar energy everywhere we can is a huge piece of how we can meet our community's commitment to 100% clean electricity by 2030, and accelerating the transition to clean electricity is one of the biggest ways we can respond to the climate emergency. And the good news is, 90% of Montanans polled in a bipartisan study supported increasing the use of solar energy to meet Montana’s energy needs! But to get there, we need changes in state policy. 
The Public Service Commission
The PSC is an elected body of 5 commissioners from districts across the state, charged with, among other things, oversight of Montana's state-sanctioned monopoly energy utilities (in Missoula, NorthWestern Energy).

The PSC has historically had a low profile - but that is changing, as Montanans are learning more about the important role it plays in our state's energy future. Want to learn more about the PSC and how you can help ensure they are working to protect the public interest? Our friends at MREA have put together a helpful guide all about the PSC: The Unknown Energy Battleground. 

The PSC doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to supporting solar, to say the least.
The PSC in the news: ​
Feeling frustrated? Make your voice heard. Contact our PSC commissioner Jennifer Fielder and share your views about solar + clean energy: 406-444-6167

​You can also write letters to the editor! Head over to the Missoulian and get started.

Solarize Missoula ​

Back in 2015-16 Climate Smart Missoula worked with partners on this community campaign to dramatically increase solar installations in Missoula by making solar simple. In a nutshell, we worked with 4 local installers, determined a pricing structure, held two workshops with over 300 people interested, assigned over 150 interested parties to installers, and together they installed ~ 45 new systems on roofs around Missoula! This great Missoulian article helped us get started.  Solarize was a resounding success. Due to complications beyond our control, we weren't able to do a Round 2 - but we still want to make solar easy for Missoulians! Check out our happenings page for upcoming workshops. 
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In the meantime, keep reading and if you are interested in solar today, contact one of the four installers from Round 1. We hope YOU can join the solar revolution.
The 4 installers for Round 1 were:   They're all working today to bring solar to the Missoula area - give any of them a call. 

Three Solarize Missoula residential profiles, thanks to MREA:  
Solarize Missoula Partners:

Community Solar 

Climate Smart provided leadership to the latest NorthWestern Energy community solar project, helping install demonstration solar projects at several area high schools.

Other Community solar projects in the area are happening via Missoula Electric Co-op and Ravalli Electric Co-op. 
Check out this really cool map of community solar projects around the country. We need better policies in Montana, that is for sure. ​

Solar Fun Facts and Ideas

Some HOT facts about the solar potential for Missoula's entire community:
  • According to Project Sunroof, 68% of buildings in Missoula are "solar-viable". Meaning, well over half the buildings in Missoula have roofs with enough annual sun exposure to justify solar panels. 
  • The potential electricity production for those roofs would be 164,000 MWh of electricity per year, based on national averages for residential energy use, that is enough electricity to power over 15,000 homes every year!
  • If solar installations were implemented on every "solar-viable" building, we could avoid emitting 115,000 metric tons of CO2 from the energy sector.
There are a number of web-based resources that explain the wonders of solar, how it works, new technology. Check out: ​
Project Sunroof is a Google extension that gives users an estimate of solar potential, along with other information, specific to their home. Data for Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, and Billings is currently available. It's informative but a little glitchy! There are other ways to calculate the solar potential of your roof using online calculators like the one provided by Energy Star: Renewable Energy Ready Home Solar Site Assessment Tool. These tools are a great start but your best bet is to schedule a free site assessment with a local installer.
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For the super creative....SOLAR COOKING!
Here's Amy with her new GoSun solar grill and oven, demonstrating that the January sun can brew coffee - even if it's 6F outside!  She also baked bread! 
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Have you seen our downtown solar phone charger?
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This lightweight, packable solar lantern is another creative way solar technology is being used. Get one from us when you become a Friend of Climate Smart Missoula!
Share your story with us! Take pictures and videos and tell us about your experience with solar energy in Missoula. Or tell us how you save energy in your home. And of course, ask us questions! Contact us at Climate Smart Missoula at info@climatesmartmissoula.org!