REPORT: Needless red tape delaying Illinois solar transition

CHICAGO — One significant obstacle preventing Illinois homeowners from switching to solar energy is excessive red tape during the permitting and inspection process, according to Red Tape and Rooftop Solar, a report released on Tuesday by Environment Illinois Research & Education Center, Illinois PIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group. 

“Rooftop solar does not pollute our air, provides power during extreme weather, and lowers residents’ energy bills,” said Theo Rosen, campaign associate with Environment Illinois Research & Education Center. “Everyone benefits from having more rooftop solar on the grid, so we should be trying to make it as easy as possible for families to make that choice. Unfortunately, burdensome permitting procedures often have the opposite effect.”

The report uses several municipalities as case studies, based on interviews with staff at nine companies that install residential solar panels and batteries in the state.

The issues that installers pointed to in the report included:

• Communication troubles that extend timelines, for example in Aurora where it took one installer six phone calls to get an approved permit sent over so they could start installation.
• Inefficient review procedures that can add significant delay time, such as in Peoria where reviewers report errors one-by-one instead of all at once, sending the permit back and starting the review over each time.
• Third-party review companies in cities such as Elmhurst, where installers say reviews can take 2-3 weeks for each round of revision, sometimes making the entire process last multiple months. 

“Permitting barriers in Illinois add unnecessary costs for families who want to install solar panels and, in some cases, make it almost impossible to ‘go solar’,” said Abe Scarr, state director for Illinois PIRG Education Fund. “With instant permitting solutions available, there’s no need for these bureaucratic barriers that slow the adoption of a common-sense energy solution like rooftop solar here in Illinois.”

The report recommends the use of instant permitting software, like the U.S. Department of Energy’s SolarAPP+ , which cut processing times by quickly performing hundreds of code compliance checks and flagging errors immediately. According to the Greenhouse Institute, if instant permitting were adopted by jurisdictions across the state, it could save families $4,100 on the cost of going solar and spur an additional 292,000–303,000 home solar installations by 2040.

The Residential Automated Solar Permitting Act (SB2395/HB3265), sponsored by State Sen. Bill Cunningham and State Rep. Marcus Evans, would require local governments to adopt instant solar permitting for residential rooftop solar and home battery storage. 

“Putting solar panels on your roof should be more like switching out an appliance than adding an addition to your home,” added Rosen. “Making instant permitting the statewide standard in Illinois would make it easier and cheaper for families to power their home with clean, abundant energy from the sun.”