Permit Power

Today the Maryland Energy Administration took a big step toward helping Maryland families protect their homes from power outages, save money on their electricity bills, and participate in the clean energy transition. Local governments can now apply for funding to allow families to instantly get a permit for rooftop solar and home battery systems. This program was created by the Brighter Tomorrow Act that passed earlier this year and requires local governments to allow families to instantly get a permit for rooftop solar and home battery systems. It’s never been easier to install more solar for less. Permit Power is working to pass more policies like these across the country to support cheaper and easier solar and home battery installations. https://lnkd.in/e2Szfc4N

We need to use all the tools we have available to make clean, affordable energy available to every family. Today Environment America released new Renewables on the Rise data showing that solar and home batteries are on the up and up, but there’s so much more work to do. Maryland and California have already adopted statewide legislation to require all local governments to make rooftop solar easier to install, and SIX states have created funding programs to help local governments issue instant permits. It’s time for more states to follow suit. https://lnkd.in/ghPSyPNC

🌞American families pay $15,000+ more for rooftop solar than European families, and often have to wait months for their clean energy upgrades. This is largely driven by cumbersome approval processes (slow permitting, slow HOA approval, slow utility approval, etc). In CA, Scott Wiener took an ax to this red tape and passed SB379, setting a minimum standard that most cities & counties must provide permits instantly to families looking to install rooftop solar & home batteries. Over the last two years, with the help of the California Energy Commission & David Hochschild, 300+ cities & counties covering 35m+ Californians have taken meaningful steps to comply with the law. But 100+ cities and counties have yet to enable full instant permitting. It’s time for the state to enforce these laws (tagging Rob Bonta). California needs a lot more clean energy to meet its climate goals, and California families deserve for local governments to not stand in the way of them powering their lives with clean energy. Read more from Permit Power & Environment California in The Sacramento Bee: https://lnkd.in/gSM_AyFM HT SPUR, Solar Rights Alliance, California Solar & Storage Association, Solar Energy Industries Association

TODAY: Permit Power participated in a webinar with over 100 elected leaders and staff members in attendance to discuss the benefits of instant permitting for installation of consumer clean energy products. Momentum is building for cutting costly red tape and getting more rooftop solar and home batteries installed. Two states have adopted statewide instant permitting policies (Thank you Scott Wiener & David Fraser-Hidalgo!), six states have created funding programs and almost 300 local governments are already issuing instant permits to families. Other elected leaders and local officials can follow this example to get more clean energy in their neighborhoods with instant permitting! Huge thank you to all of today’s speakers! Scott Wiener, David Fraser-Hidalgo, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, Environment America & SolarAPP+ 

🔋💸Rooftop solar is one of the easiest and most effective tools New York State has to meet its climate goals. Reducing costly delays & barriers by letting families instantly get a permit to install rooftop solar and home barriers is one of the easiest ways to help more families to #gosolar. Read more from New York Solar Energy Industries Association on how NY leaders can make it easier for families to install rooftop solar:  https://lnkd.in/guAW5CZE

🌞“Let’s turn those golden rays into clean energy that will make our air cleaner, lower our bills, and help fight climate change” - Environment America & Solar United Neighbors in The Baltimore Sun. Maryland is helping make it easier and cheaper for families to install rooftop solar and home batteries, saving money and helping keep the lights on during blackouts! Earlier this year, state leaders passed The Brighter Tomorrow Act that requires local governments to allow Marylanders to instantly get a permit for their rooftop solar and home battery system. Thank you Maryland for your leadership. At Permit Power, we’re working with our partners to help families all across America be able to benefit from instant permits like they will be able to in Maryland. Across the country, over 200 local governments in over 12 states have allowed families to instantly get permits and it’s made a big difference. In Tucson and Pima County, AZ, rooftop solar installs grew at twice the rate of the rest of the state. THANK YOU to Sierra Club, Environment America, Solar United Neighbors, Maryland Energy Administration, Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo & State Senator Sarah Elfreth. https://lnkd.in/eE4XhvZK 

☀️⚡🔋Colorado is making it easier for Coloradans to #gosolar – lowering their utility bills, and protecting themselves from blackouts! Today, the Colorado Energy Office announced that the first recipients of its Automated Permit Processing For Solar (APPS) Grant program are Boulder County & Alamosa County, and that the grant program is reopening for new applications. The grants will be used to upgrade city and county systems to enable local families to instantly get permits to install rooftop solar and home batteries. It’s time for more CO local governments to join City and County of Denver, and hundreds of other local governments around the country, in making it easier and cheaper for Colorado families to power their lives with clean electricity. Huge shout out to our partners CoPIRG, Solar United Neighbors, Colorado Sierra Club & Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA) for your solar advocacy. HT Environment America, Environment New Jersey, Sierra Club Maryland, Sierra Club, U.S. Energy Foundation, Environment Minnesota https://lnkd.in/gqWF6Q_C

⚡🔋Home solar + battery storage systems keep the lights on even when there’s local power outages. With more and more extreme weather events it's never been more critical to have a backup battery option for our homes. With instant permitting, homeowners can get solar on their roof and energy storage in their garage without any delays. When the weather is coming, you don’t have time to wait even a few days for a permit. https://lnkd.in/gyQTs4d7

🌞💸Two years ago today President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Since then, millions of American families have benefited from tax credits to install clean energy upgrades, especially rooftop solar. Programs like Solar for All are expanding the accessibility of rooftop solar and delivering solar in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the country. But tax credits alone are not enough. We also need to dramatically reduce the cost of rooftop solar, to levels in Europe and Australia, to supercharge deployment. And the best places to start is to automate the permitting of rooftop solar and energy storage. That’s what we’re working on at Permit Power. https://lnkd.in/eKzjQeeE

❗Big announcement from Climate Mayors, committing to electrify 50% of city vehicle fleets by 2030 and increase #EV infrastructure by 500% by 2035. This is a key step toward meeting our climate goals. Automated permitting is already helping more residents #gosolar in over 200 jurisdictions across the country. Expanding better permitting to other home clean energy equipment like #EV chargers will help us increase deployment and hit our climate goals! https://lnkd.in/eXZVhd4h