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Colorado poised to speed up residential solar permitting

Colorado poised to speed up residential solar permitting
(Courtesy: Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash)

A new bill in Colorado could significantly improve the time and effort it takes to approve residential solar project permitting and inspection by offering grant money to jurisdictions interested in installing automated permitting software.

The bill, HB-1234, has passed both houses and is waiting on a signature from the governor. It establishes the Streamlined Solar Permitting and Inspection Grant Program and provides nearly $1,000,000 to help local governments with startup costs associated with adopting permitting and inspection software such as SolarAPP+.

SolarAPP+ is a web-based software tool developed by NREL. It integrates in local jurisdictions’ permit management systems and a pilot study showed it could save an average of 12 businesses days versus the traditional review process for permits. The Colorado grant program encourages jurisdictions to adopt SolarAPP+ or something similar but doesn’t require it.

Money for the program can be used for expenses expected to be incurred in adopting the automated permitting software such as staff time, IT, training, installation, third-party consulting, maintenance and for any hardware upgrades needed. The population size of the jurisdiction will indicate the potential amount it can receive:

  • >50K: $40K
  • 50 – 100K: $60K
  • 100-200K: $80K
  • >200K: $100K

The legislature will appropriate the money on an annual basis.

“Colorado’s mountain communities are eager to develop solar technology, but all too often, projects are held up in the labor-intensive permitting process, and sometimes even canceled. These grants will help reduce time, costs, and burden for permitting, and keep us in line with our greenhouse gas reduction goals,” according to bill sponsor Dylan Roberts.

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SolarApp+ has already been successfully implemented in Denver and several other states. According to NREL data, projects submitted through the app are 37% less likely to fail final inspections than traditional projects. At present, 32 communities across the United States are using SolarAPP+, and it has resulted in over 15,000 residential solar permits being issued, accounting for 100,000 kilowatts of electricity and 15,000 estimated staff hours saved on reviewing permits.

“We commend the Colorado Legislature for advancing expedited permitting on residential solar projects while prioritizing compliance with safety and code standards,” said Ken Boyce, senior director of principal engineering in the Testing, Inspection and Certification group at UL Solutions. “We recognize the value SolarAPP+ brings to governments, the public and the solar industry, and how it will serve as an important enabler of safer and cleaner energy.”

“This will empower local officials to automate permitting and inspections, which will reduce staff time and cut costs,” said Mike Kruger, CEO of the Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA). “In turn, this will give homeowners immediate results for their permit applications, and solar and storage companies can hire more staff to support an increase in projects approved.”

Originally published by Power Grid International