istrative barriers across all agencies added more
than;$5,000;to;$6,000;to;the;cost;of;each;resi-
dential;PV;installation;in;the;city,;CUNY’s;solar
ombudsman began holding office hours at the
city Department of Buildings last September.
Ginsburg;facilitated;and;streamlined;applications
for;property;tax;abatement;(the;city’s;financial
incentive;for;solar);across;permitting;agencies
and;educated;installers.;This;simple;step;resulted
in;a;sixfold;increase;in;approved;applications.
“Solar;installations;in;the;city;of;New;York
have more than doubled over the last year, and
we now have approximately 5. 65 megawatts
installed. Better access to information is the
key, and the city has developed a suite of tools
to help both customers and those involved in
the;process,”;said;Tria;Case,;CUNY’s;university
director of sustainability.
She is referring to a solar map that provides
precise;information;about;the;size,;angle;and
shading of rooftops, providing customers and
installers;the;ability;to;quickly;calculate;the;size
of a potential solar energy system. A second tool
the city is developing is an interactive installation guide to help consumers map out their paths
through the process. A third project in the works
is a web-based tool that will allow relevant agencies to virtually track the progress of each installation, which will also increase transparency and
clarity for end-users.
Portland Helps Standardize State Permitting.;Portland’s;Bureau;of;Development;Services
(
BDS);developed;an;electronic;permit;submit-tal process for solar installers, enabling installers to e-mail the permit application to the city
and;expect;a;review;for;qualified;projects;within
approximately;four;working;days.;This;process
eliminated an average office wait of three hours,
plus travel time, for contractors. Additionally,
permits were set to a flat fee for residential instal-lations;meeting;certain;requirements,;and;staff-ers;at;the;permitting;desk;were;trained;as;solar
experts;to;assist;contractors;who;need;help;filing
permits;in;person.;These;easy-to-implement,;low-tech solutions created certainty for the contractors and have decreased solar installers’ costs.
Much of Portland’s early work became a
model;for;standardized;permitting;that;was;insti-
tuted;across;Oregon;in;2010.;The;state;imple-
mented a flat permit fee and created a provision
to;waive;unnecessary;engineering;requirements
for;certain;types;of;solar;installations;defined;in
the;code,;specifically;those;on;light-frame;con-struction;with;defined;mounting;requirements.
In;addition,;it;adopted;standardized;documents
Further Streamlining Processes, Costs
Representatives;from;each;of;the;25;Solar
America;Cities;convened;April;25;in;Philadel-
phia;for;their;fourth;annual;meeting.;They;shared
best;practices;and;insights;and;compared;expe-riences about emerging trends in urban solar
energy use. Much of the work performed in the
Solar America Cities helps to pioneer more effi-cient;ways;of;selling,;permitting,;installing;and
interconnecting;PV;systems,;reducing;the;non-hardware;costs;associated;with;PV;installation.
In line with its SunShot Initiative and this
complementary Solar America Cities work,
CUPERTINO ELECTRIC
Permitting improvements have helped San Jose install more than 25 megawatts of PV. The Orchard School
District in San Jose features a 240-kilowatt system.
to;simplify;the;process.;The;benefits;of;a;uni-form;code;and;standardized;documents;across
all jurisdictions are enormous.
“Oregon;has;many;small;jurisdictions,”;notes
Jonathan Cohen, principal and founder of Imag-ine;Energy,;an;Oregon;solar;installer.;“Often
the;code;and;permitting;officials;in;these;areas
are;very;unfamiliar;with;PV;and;solar;hot;water
systems, so they tend to be very conservative,
often adding unnecessary costs and engineering
to;local;regulations.;The;Oregon;standardized
code provides these smaller jurisdictions with a
blanket security.
“It;also;creates;a;more-level;playing;field,;for
both installers that operate across jurisdictions
and;for;residents;seeking;solar,”;says;Cohen.
Much of the work performed
in the Solar America Cities
helps to pioneer more
efficient ways of selling,
permitting, installing and
interconnecting PV systems.
DOE;anticipates;additional;investments;toward
ensuring;significant;cost;reductions;in;distribut-ed;PV;permitting;in;the;next;two;years.;Among
these,;the;DOE;expects;to;announce;a;major
national;contest;in;2011;for;state;and;local;gov-
ernments;to;improve;market;conditions;for;PV
through more consumer-friendly processes. For
more information on future funding opportunities, visit eere.energy.gov/solar/financial_
opportunities.html. ST
