New App Promises Faster Rooftop Solar Approvals in Minnesota

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Rooftop solar panels are poised for their moment in Minnesota. Demand for rooftop solar panels is growing across the state as homes, businesses, schools and farms realize the significant cost savings they can achieve by adding solar panels to their roofs. And thanks to state and federal incentives — including tens of billions of dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funding — switching to solar panels is more affordable than ever.

And soon, thanks to Minnesota lawmakers, installing solar panels on roofs in our state will become a lot faster and easier.

Until now, the rush for rooftop solar has been stymied by local government regulations. Homes and businesses have often had to endure an unnecessarily slow permitting process. For each application, local governments can have to manually navigate 100 compliance checks and obtain approval from the building, electrical, fire, planning and zoning departments. The resulting wait times and complications have made people think twice about installing solar panels — a caution we can’t afford if we want to meet Minnesota’s ambitious goal of 100% net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

That’s why we applaud state lawmakers for passing legislation this year that includes a $2 million incentive for local governments across the state to adopt the SolarAPP+ automated permitting tool. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, SolarAPP+ is a web-based portal that automates permitting without compromising safety and other important permit checks. It works by asking the solar contractor a series of questions to verify that the system design is compliant. Qualifying, template rooftop solar applications receive approved building permits immediately, while non-qualifying projects go through a typical permit review process. SolarAPP+ can issue permits the same day — a feat almost unheard of today.

Hundreds of cities across the country are already using SolarAPP+ to accelerate solar applications, quickly and efficiently delivering energy independence and lower utility bills to their residents. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that in areas where it is used, SolarAPP+ saved approximately 9,000 hours of municipal staff time in 2022 and sped up the permitting process by an average of 13 days.

This new approach will help meet our state’s energy goals and solidify Minnesota’s position as a clean energy leader. SolarAPP+ is a win-win—it lifts the burden and gives local governments a helpful tool to better manage the influx of solar permits, ensures consistency across counties, and provides solar installers and customers with a faster, more predictable permitting process.

With all the benefits of installing solar on your roof, we need to make it as easy and hassle-free as possible. Want to cut your energy bills and save the planet? Turns out, there’s an app for that.

Logan O’Grady is the executive director of the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA). Johanna Neumann is a senior director of Environment America.