Project Permit: Cutting Red Tape for Green Energy

[kristopher]

Project Permit: Cutting Red Tape for Green Energy

Rosalid Jackson and Annie Lappé, Vote Solar
June 07, 2013


Few outside of the solar industry realize how much of an impact local governments can have on the price tag of PV. But with solar module prices having dropped fast and far over the past few years, ‘soft’ costs like local permitting represent the most significant opportunity to keep rooftop solar prices trending down.



Today, more than 18,000 municipalities set their own permitting requirements for residential solar energy systems. As a result, permitting requirements vary dramatically city by city. As any solar installer knows - long waits, high fees, excessive inspections, avoidable paperwork and non-standard practices across different jurisdictions can all add unnecessary costs to what should be a simple, transparent process.

Which is why we are excited to beta launch Project Permit, an interactive website that targets local permitting to make solar more affordable nationwide. It’s designed to help solar stakeholders like you understand how your town’s permitting practices stack up and what can be done to improve them.

Chances are, your own hometown is one of those that could stand to improve its solar permitting procedures. Here’s what you can do: See how your community measures up to best practices on our interactive solar permitting map. And if it’s lagging, put our local advocacy toolkit to call on your mayor for action!

As of our beta launch we have information for 800 communities...

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/06/project-permit-cutting-red-tape-for-green-energy?cmpid=SolarNL-Tuesday-June11-2013