Attaining a permit for a home solar installation may be getting quicker and more efficient in the state of California, thanks to the release of a new guidebook and resources for local governments seeking to streamline the solar permitting process.
California has been a solar leader in rooftop installations, but one of the barriers to continued growth in home solar is the burdensome solar permitting process, which wasn’t up to handling the increasing number of applications.
But a recent piece of legislation, AB 2188 (Expedited Solar Permitting Act) aims to bring the solar permitting infrastructure into line with what’s necessary in order to meet California’s renewable energy portfolio goals (one third of the state’s electricity from clean energy by 2020).
“Solar energy is a key component of California state and local government goals to achieve climate action plans and generate economic development. Generally, current solar permitting requirements create a barrier to low-cost, rapid deployment of solar energy. Streamlined permitting will result in reduced processing times and increased output for local governments and make more efficient use of resources.” – CSE
The California Solar Permitting Guidebook is designed to be a resource and reference for local governments and other permitting agencies to help facilitate the installation of more small solar energy systems, with the intent of reducing permit processing times and helping to facilitate local economic development.
The Guidebook offers seven standardized templates that can be used to create “uniform and expedited permitting for small-scale solar”, guidelines for streamlining solar permitting, and help for implementing AB 2188 locally. In addition, a series of workshops and trainings are planned for code officials and solar contractors, which will cover all of the aspects of the new solar guidelines. Find out more at the Center for Sustainable Energy.
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