One important way to mark Sun Day is to advocate for making residential solar energy easier to install. The cost of solar panels continues to fall but the permitting process for getting them installed on rooftops, balconies, and other residential property can leave people embroiled in red tape.
Solar APP+ is software developed in 2019 by the US Department of Energy’s National Energy Laboratory to expedite the permitting process. Permitting, zoning laws and ordinances, and processes for connecting residential solar installations to the local electrical grid vary by municipality and county. Solar APP+ helps contractors and consumers navigate the process in their own location. The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services has approved the use of Solar APP+ in our state and it was piloted in Sun Prairie in 2022. To celebrate Sun Day please consider contacting your city and county government to see whether they are exploring SolarAPP+ for your area. Educate officials about its importance and make clear that you are eager to see it implemented.
Please also consider asking your state representatives to promote legislation that would make the permitting process uniform across municipalities and counties. At present the process varies widely; it’s easy in some places, but in others it’s so difficult, expensive and byzantine that people give up and loans backing their projects expire.
State level promotion and support could make it easier for all local governments to get on board. Streamlining permitting processes should appeal to legislators in both parties: Democrats who support clean energy and Republicans in favor of minimal government regulation. (Not sure who your state representatives are? That’s okay; not everyone knows this offhand! Look up your representatives here.)
More information is available through these links:
Sun Prairie’s pilot project (includes links to information on how the process works)