Gov. Jay Inslee gave a proclamation Thursday declaring Mountlake Terrace to be one of four areas recognized as a Northwest Solar Community.

To earn the recognition, the city had to take steps to lower the cost of solar panels for homeowners and to support planning and zoning for solar panels.

“The city of Mountlake Terrace sees itself as a progressive city, supportive of a variety of energy alternatives,” Mayor Jerry Smith said in a statement. “We see solar as the future of energy, and for homeowners in particular to benefit from the energy cost savings and to reduce demand for other energy resources by installation of rooftop solar arrays.”

Bellingham, Snoqualmie and the Regional Code Collaboration in King County also earned the honor this month. The four areas join past winners Bellevue, Edmonds, Kirkland, Mercer Island and Seattle as “solar communities.”

Because of initiatives put forward by solar communities, residential solar installations have increased by nearly 500 percent since 2013.

“It is encouraging to see cities rising to the climate challenge and their local utilities supporting those efforts,” Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement. “Local governments are leading by example, and over the past 30 months have worked to make their communities ‘open for solar business’ by promoting solar education and adopting a number of best practices, including online permitting, predictable, flat fees and group purchase campaigns.”