California Energy Commission awards grants to cities and counties to implement automated solar permitting system

In an effort to spur growth in rooftop solar, the California Energy Commission just announced new grants to help communities automate home solar permit approvals, with a total of $18.9 million now going to 334 cities and counties. Experts expect the move to speed installations, lower costs and accelerate solar adoption across the state.

About 10% of California properties have solar panels, and that number needs to grow rapidly for the state to meet its clean energy goals. One of the biggest obstacles to more solar projects is getting permits. Properties that install solar panels on their roofs must first get a permit from their local building department. Outdated and inefficient permitting requirements in many areas, combined with staffing shortages, can cause delays of months and thousands of dollars for solar projects. In many cases, property owners cancel projects when permits become too burdensome or expensive. Building officials who want to improve solar permitting often don’t have the resources to do so.

The Commission’s California Automated Permit Processing Program (CalAPP), which was established by the state Legislature in 2021 and launched in 2022, provides cities and counties with tools to remove these obstacles to obtaining permits. CalAPP provides grants and technical assistance to cities and counties that automate permitting for residential solar and battery systems, allowing contractors to receive permits immediately. CalAPP closed applications on June 30, 2024, and the Commission announced final recipients in early July.

“We are excited to provide funding to more than 330 cities and counties across California to make it easier for residents to go solar,” said David Hochschild, chairman of the California Energy Commission. “CalAPP is already helping install more solar energy in California, and that’s a win-win for residents, building departments, solar companies and our environment.”

Since CalAPP launched, California has taken its commitment to faster, cheaper rooftop solar installations a step further by passing legislation that requires local governments to automate home solar and storage permits. June 30 was the deadline for major cities and counties to comply. The Energy Commission made compliance, as reported by cities and counties, available online.

“Every roof without solar panels is a missed opportunity to combat climate change, lower energy costs, strengthen our grid and transition to all-electric neighborhoods,” said Laura Deehan, state director of Environment California. “Building department red tape is the last thing we need to get in the way of homes going solar.”

Cities and counties can automate solar permitting by implementing free software from the federal Department of Energy called SolarAPP+, software from a Silicon Valley tech company called Symbium, or their own software. The most common way cities and counties automate permitting is by adopting SolarAPP+, a software platform developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in partnership with industry and building safety officials. SolarAPP+ meets California’s automated permitting law and dramatically reduces permitting times. In 2023, SolarAPP+ saved 15,400 hours of staff time on solar permitting projects.

News article from the California Energy Commission