By Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons | TXSES Executive Director
It’s June in Texas, another day of unrelenting headlines about excessive heat warnings and triple-digit temperatures and ERCOT asking us to conserve electricity. It’s not surprising that more and more Texans are looking to solar and storage to ensure continued electric service during grid emergencies.
Texas’ solar industry is in overdrive, and it’s not just because of the extreme weather.
With hardware costs down nearly 50 percent over the past decade in the residential and small commercial markets, coupled with the Inflation Reduction Act’s 30 percent tax credit for residential systems installed through 2034, the Texas solar industry can realistically plan for growth and hire more people to respond to the demand. Demand is also on the rise for batteries as homeowners combine solar with storage for reliable backup power. Storage is also eligible for the 30 percent tax credit.
But falling hardware prices and tax credits aren’t the whole picture.
Currently representing about 8 percent, soft costs like permitting, financing and installation make up a growing share of the total solar system’s costs. There is no standardized permitting process. Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) have their own set of rules and processes for solar that can take anywhere from two weeks to two months. Mistakes in the paperwork and it’s a do-over. This doesn’t include the interconnection process which can take up to six months in certain parts of the state. Ultimately, speed
In 2021 and in response to the overwhelming volume of residential solar permitting applications nationwide, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with code officials, AHJs and the solar industry developed a standardized plan review software to run compliance checks and speed up building permit approvals for eligible solar rooftop systems. Known as Solar APP+ (Solar Automated Permit Processing), this free, innovative software is a lifesaver for permitting departments. Here are some key facets of the Solar APP+ software:
- It integrates with existing government software.
- It automates plan review, permit approval, and project tracking.
- It standardizes up to 90% of standard system plans.
- It provides an inspection checklist and final sign-off after installation.
According to a 2022 NREL report on Solar APP+ performance, communities that have adopted SolarAPP+ have saved more than 12,800 hours in plan review time, and projects are installed about two weeks faster, given that permits are issued instantly for code-compliant systems. This groundbreaking software has the potential to speed up installations and reduce costs while addressing climate change.
Currently, 15 AHJs have publicly launched SolarAPP+, and 16 more are piloting the platform including AHJs in Tool, Waco and Houston, Texas.
With the relentless growth of solar in the state, we want to help more Texas municipalities adopt Solar APP+, and thanks to our friends at the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), we’ll be able to do just that.
Once approved by the Department of Energy (DOE), SECO will offer a $25K funding opportunity for each qualified municipality to adopt Solar APP+. In addition to SECO funding, NREL will support the municipalities with free technical assistance and hardware upgrades – this means NO cost to municipalities! It’s our intention to help a minimum of seven additional municipalities adopt Solar APP+ beginning October 1.
If you’re interested in helping your municipality adopt Solar APP+, email me at pparsons@txses.org