SOLAR TODAY - May 2011 - Innovative Design

SOLAR TODAY ®
May 2011
VOL. 25, NO. 4
Recognizing that non-hardware costs
can add thousands to a system’s price, the
Solar America Cities forge more efficient processes.
By Hannah Muller
At the onset, each of the Solar America Cities
looked at issues specific to its local solar market.
Cities like San Diego and Tucson, Ariz., were
experiencing rapid solar growth due to favorable
location and incentives, while others such as
Portland, Ore., were working to overcome cheap
electricity prices and public perceptions that solar
is only for hot, sunny climates. Cities like Austin,
Texas, and Sacramento, Calif., had had successful
solar programs in place since the 1980s, operated
by the municipal utilities, while New Orleans had
an opportunity to incorporate solar technologies
into buildings replaced or renovated after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. Across all cities, however,
some common hurdles surfaced. In particular,
permitting and approvals plagued city planners
and installers alike, adding time and unnecessary
costs to solar installations.
Easing the Permitting Barrier
A key finding of the Solar America Cities program
is that solar permitting, as it stands today,
can be a significant barrier to greater solar energy
adoption. According to a January report by solar
company SunRun, local permitting, inspection
and utility interconnection can add more than
$2,500 to the cost of each residential installation.
(Access the report at bit.ly/sunrunreport.)
SunRun also found that local permitting is one of
the most stubborn costs faced by solar installers
nationwide, preventing some from being able to
offer affordable prices to customers.
Local jurisdictions typically require permits
before a PV system can be installed, to ensure
that the system meets safety standards. Following
the installation, a city inspector will typically
verify that the system complies with applicable
codes. A system cannot be connected to the grid
and operate until these steps are completed.
Unfortunately, permitting processes and requirements
vary greatly among jurisdictions, and local
inexperience with PV has led to inconsistent
enforcement of requirements. When you add
understaffed city offices, it’s a recipe for permitting
delays and burdensome costs, not only for
Copyright © 2011 by the American Solar Energy Society Inc. All rights reserved.
the installer, but also for the system owner and
the local government issuing the permits.
Various Solar America Cities have addressed
this issue by developing processes that reduce
time and cost for the parties involved, while
maintaining public safety. Some cities are developing
expedited processes and lowering fees for
standard installations, while others have created
a new way to submit the paperwork, either
online or at a dedicated help desk, trimming
hours or even days from wait times. Some cities
are standardizing the process across neighboring
jurisdictions, which provides the greatest cost
savings for solar installers and can even enable
cities to save money through innovative jobsharing
arrangements where inspectors work
across jurisdictions.
Philadelphia is an example of a Solar America
City that recognized early on that more-efficient
permitting would improve local solar deployment
rates. According to Kristin Sullivan, program director
of the Philadelphia Solar City Partnership Program,
“We’ve instituted multiple improvements
to help the solar industry without compromising
safety or requiring additional city staff time, including
reduced permitting fees and a streamlined process
for projects under 10 kilowatts.”
San Jose, Calif.; New York City; and Portland,
Ore., are three more Solar America Cities
that have streamlined solar permitting.
San Jose, Installers Collaborate. The city of
San Jose has been promoting safe and compliant
installation of renewable energy for more than
nine years — and now serves as a model for
other cities across the nation. According to Kathryn
Sedwick, the city’s acting building official,
“Much of the success of the permit streamlining
is attributed to having the information available
to applicants before they come in to obtain their
permits and before they call for inspection.” One
of the priority pieces of information available to
installers is a checklist that provides all of the
information needed to ensure speedy permitting
and inspection. The checklist was crafted with
input from the PV industry.
➢
Hannah Muller is the Solar America Communities
lead at the U.S. Department of Energy. In this role
she directs strategic investments in federal-local partnerships,
cutting-edge pilot projects, policy analysis
and nationwide outreach efforts to accelerate U.S.
solar market growth through local action. Muller
holds a master’s from the Bren School of Environmental
Science and Management at the University of
California, Santa Barbara.
Resources: Simplifying
Solar in Your Community
I
n January the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) released “Solar Powering Your Community:
A Guide for Local Governments,” a
comprehensive resource. The new edition
contains recent lessons and successes from
the 25 Solar America Cities and other communities
promoting solar energy. Download
a copy at solaramericacommunities.energy.
gov/resources/guide_for_local_governments.
Recognizing the need for standardization
in the solar industry, the DOE also has created
a clearinghouse for information on solar
codes and best practices. Its Solar America
Board for Codes and Standards, established
in 2007, published a model expedited-permitting
process in 2009. The state of Oregon
used it to help create its standardized state
permitting codes. For more information visit
solarabcs.org.
Find more information on the 25 Solar
America Cities at solaramericacommunities.
energy.gov.
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