IEA SHC Task 63: Solar Neighborhood Planning completes the work after more than four years, working on solar strategies, planning aspects, business models, stakeholder and citizen engagement, solar planning tools, including examples of real case studies from the 10 participating countries. This article highlights the main topics and some of the results.

10 key questions, 12 authors, and 2 years of drafting time led to a comprehensive paper on planning and design strategies for solar neighborhoods published in the journal Building and Environment. Maria Wall, the Task Manager of IEA SHC Task 63 on Solar Neighborhood Planning, spearheaded this initiative. "We worked hard to choose questions that have
relevance not only for researchers but also for policymakers, practitioners, and urban planners," notes Wall. The idea for publishing a "Ten  Questions" series was initiated in 2016 by the editors of Building and Environment.

Preparations for the second Fall School of SHC Task 63 on Solar Neighborhood Planning are underway. The main objective of the course is to introduce and discuss various strategies and methods to assess and evaluate solar neighborhood strategies and concepts from different perspectives and standpoints.

Solar neighborhoods are a piece in the puzzle in achieving net-zero energy districts and low-carbon cities. This is why the IEA SHC Task 63: Solar Neighborhood Planning participants are working on solar planning and economic strategies, simulation methods and tools, and case studies. One unique aspect of this project’s work is holding “Fall School” for Ph.D. and Advanced Masters students.