By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
With cost being wrung out at every level of the solar installation, whether it’s module, inverter and racking prices, installation labor and even operations-and-maintenance. Yet the stubborn issue of exorbitant soft costs continues to plague the industry and keep prices artificially high.
Numerous studies have been done to determine the best way to bring those costs down, but they still remain high – at least until the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The Solar Foundation (TSF) decided to do something about them.
To that end, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The Solar Foundation today are unveiling the Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP) initiative, which will streamline permitting and slash the cost of solar installations.
SEIA and TSF research suggest the permitting and inspection process costs approximately $1.00/watt – nearly $7,000 in direct and indirect costs – for a typical residential solar electricity system. In addition to reducing the expense of solar installations, SolarAPP improves the efficiency of going solar by creating a rules-based, automated permitting and inspection process.
“The goal is to make solar permitting more straightforward, and more routine, while at the same time maintaining the safety and reliability that U.S. solar projects are known for,” said SEIA’s president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “SolarAPP will cut unnecessary red tape, while saving Americans thousands of dollars. By making the process of going solar more efficient, both our companies and their customers win.”
The multi-tiered plan proposes the following reforms:
- A safety and skills training and certification program that allows residential and small commercial solar and battery storage installers to attest that their projects are compliant with applicable codes, laws, and industry practices, thus eliminating the need for a traditional multi-step permitting process;
- A simple, standardized online platform that will be provided to local governments at no cost, to “register” and automatically screen qualifying systems for local government authorities;
- A list of established equipment standards and/or certified equipment for solar and storage projects installed through the proposed process;
- The creation, or refinement, of system design standards for qualifying solar projects;
- A model instantaneous permitting regime for home and small-commercial solar and battery storage systems installed by certified installers and contractors;
- A program administrator to oversee and implement the plan, including providing technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions and utilities.
“An automated solar permitting process will reduce unnecessary costs and give Americans more freedom to choose how they meet their energy needs.” said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director at The Solar Foundation. “With this plan, we have a clear path forward to make solar installations even more affordable and widespread.”
The solar industry is working with stakeholders across the industry and government, seeking feedback on SolarAPP.
“Reforming the solar and battery permitting process is one of the most significant steps our country can take to making solar more affordable for all,” said Lynn Jurich, CEO of Sunrun. “There is a patchwork of inconsistent permitting procedures and standards across the U.S. and our customers pay the high costs of navigating this system. We have an opportunity to help the industry invest in a million more solar roofs over the next 5 years from the savings by making the permitting process faster, while ensuring safety and reliability for all.”
More:
Instant Solar Permitting, The Most Important Issue Facing Solar? (Podcast With Andrew Birch)