We are excited to beta launch Project Permit, an interactive website that scores local permitting practices to help lower solar costs across the country. It’s designed to help solar stakeholders, municipal officials, and people like you understand how their town’s permitting practices stack up and what can be done to improve them.
Few realize how much of an impact local governments can have on the cost of going solar. But with solar panel prices having dropped fast and far over the past few years, “soft” costs like local permitting represent the most significant opportunity for keeping 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. 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.
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