Permit requirements are meant to make sure rooftop solar installations are safe and comply with local laws. But inconsistent and resource-intensive permitting processes make it harder for Minnesotans to go solar, threatening the state’s clean energy goals and grid reliability needs.
The new report Overcoming Permitting Barriers for Rooftop Solar in Minnesota breaks down how local governments can slow residential solar projects with cumbersome or confusing permitting rules. Based on interviews with ten solar installers, the report outlines the top permitting challenges in Minnesota and identifies solar permitting best practices for local and state governments.
Takeaways from the report include:
- Most local governments in Minnesota require both building permits and electrical permits before installing residential rooftop solar.
- Solar installers most frequently named unique and varying permitting processes across local governments as a challenge in Minnesota.
- Some local governments take up to six weeks to approve permits, compared to less than a week in others.
- The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry approves electrical permits instantly, but no local governments have adopted instant permitting yet.
- Permitting and other “soft costs” make up more than half of total costs for residential solar projects.
- Solar permitting best practices — such as adopting instant permitting platforms and online permitting options — can save local government staff time.
Permit Power, a nonprofit organization that works to make clean energy installation faster and cheaper, provided funding and feedback for this report.
Photo Credit: Joe DelNero, U.S. Department of Energy via Flickr