More Rooftop Solar for Colorado, Less Red Tape

Harnessing clean energy from renewable sources like the wind and sun allows us to live greener, healthier lives. Rooftop solar is also a critical strategy for helping cut Coloradans’ energy bills while reducing the need for dirty energy from fossil fuels. 

Solar power is especially valuable when it is produced right where it’s needed: on the roofs of our homes and businesses. Locally generated rooftop solar power – especially when coupled with on-site battery storage – eases grid strain, increases grid resilience in extreme weather and helps transition the grid off of fossil fuels.

While America could produce 45% of the electricity we use with rooftop solar, we are far from realizing that full potential. As of 2022, Colorado had only tapped approximately 4.8% of the rooftop solar potential in our state. With our abundant sunshine, every rooftop without solar is a wasted opportunity.

Why isn’t Colorado realizing its rooftop solar potential?

Too often, red tape is getting in the way of going solar. Even for straightforward residential solar projects, it can take days or weeks to get local government approval for installation. The processes vary by jurisdiction and can be complex and costly. The additional costs associated with the permitting process can push rooftop solar outside of many homeowners’ budgets despite the otherwise falling costs of going solar. 

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) estimates that a one-week delay due to permitting, inspection or similar processes can result in a 5-10% client cancellation rate, driving up costs for other customers. These “soft costs” of going solar contribute to higher prices for going solar in the U.S. than in much of the rest of the world. Given our urgent need for more clean energy, we cannot afford to let inefficiencies slow the adoption of a common-sense solution like rooftop solar. 

What is instant permitting?

“Instant permitting” is a solution that can help cut red tape and save people money. Instant permitting software platforms such as SolarAPP+ – developed right here in Colorado at the National Renewable Energy Lab – or Symbium cut down on delay times for standard rooftop solar and home battery installations. For a typical installation, if the permit application is complete and meets all local and building code requirements, approval is immediate. 

Instant permitting benefits local governments, saving time and money, because building department staff no longer need to spend their time reviewing straightforward, code-compliant permits and can instead focus on more complex applications.

SolarAPP+ was developed in conjunction with building and safety experts. The jurisdictions across the country that have adopted the tool have been able to cut permit processing time saving both staff and residents time, reduce the complexity of the process, and lower costs. Projects approved through SolarAPP+ also have a lower likelihood of inspection failure compared to traditional permit review methods.

Other key figures about SolarAPP+:

• Over 260 jurisdictions in 17 states across the country have signed up for SolarAPP+.
• In Colorado, two jurisdictions are currently using SolarAPP+ – the City and County of Denver and the rural Town of Bennett. Three others – Alamosa County, Boulder County and Gilpin County – have been awarded state grant funding to support their transition to instant permitting through Colorado Energy Office’s APPS grant program.
• SolarAPP+ performs over 150 code compliance checks to verify that the proposed solar system is up to code.
• Since adopting SolarAPP+, City and County of Denver staff saved approximately 1,240 hours of total review time in the first year alone.
• Nationally in 2023, SolarAPP+ saved approximately 15,400 hours of staff time at permitting offices and eliminated approximately 150,000 business days in permitting delays.

Instant permitting adoption is low in Colorado – it’s time to change that. 

So far, only a handful of Colorado jurisdictions are taking advantage of instant permitting for solar and battery storage. With grant funding from the Colorado Energy Office available on a first come, first served basis, and at the urging of 20 different organizations, the 200+ cities, towns and counties in Colorado should go ahead and adopt instant permitting for solar and storage as soon as possible to save themselves and their residents time and money.

We will only see the maximum benefit of instant permitting if adoption is widespread. According to SEIA, broad adoption of instant permitting could lower the cost of a standard solar system by an estimated $6,000-$7,000, and reduce cancellations. 

Given the many benefits of rooftop solar for Colorado consumers and for our air, cities and counties statewide should adopt instant permitting for residential rooftop solar and storage projects so more Coloradans can tap into the power of the sun. 

The 4.8 percent referenced above is derived from the methodology in Tony Dutzik, Abigail Ham, and Johanna Neumann, “Rooftop solar on the rise.” The percentage is based on 2022 small-scale solar generation, which includes but is not limited to rooftop solar, divided by estimated technical rooftop solar potential.