Solar Power’s Growth Depends on Key Policy Changes

Solar Power’s Growth Depends on Key Policy Changes

Matt Painter

For Immediate Release

More Info: Matthew Painter 212/991.1831

Chris Cooper 212/991.1830

After a comprehensive analysis of the obstacles to solar power’s growth, the Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) has put forth key policy suggestions to advance the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative (SAI). The NNEC recommends the removal of infrastructural barriers and the implementation of policy changes that will expand net metering’s potential as a solar incentive.

Net metering is crucial to increasing the demand for solar power while decreasing the cost to consumers. It allows customers who utilize solar power to sell electricity back to the utility, helping them recoup their capital expenditures. Currently, 35 states offer net metering. However, not all states offer equal incentives. New Jersey, California, Colorado and New Mexico have the best net metering regulations.

“If the DOE’s initiative is serious about promoting solar power, it should take best practices from net metering successes in these states and push them to be norm nation-wide,” said NNEC Research Director James Rose.

The Network is calling for the SAI to do that by:

• Making interconnection standards uniform

Consistent interconnection standards are the best way to ensure a safe and fair connection to the electrical grid. Without them, utilities and state regulators can create burdensome and unnecessary requirements that make solar photovoltaic systems prohibitively expensive.

• Making net metering a part of a broader incentives system

Net metering should be paired with rebates and tax credits that help offset the initial start-up costs of a solar electric system.

• Creating a streamlined and transparent application and installation process for net metering

Getting approval for a net metering project should be simple and quick—without the burdening bureaucracy that many states impose.

• Thinking of net metering as a demand reduction strategy rather than a supply strategy

Net metering’s primary function is demand reduction—solar is especially effective at reducing demand during peak hours. Electric distribution companies should compensate net metering consumers at the same rate as customers who reduce their own demand by measures such as conservation: the retail rate.

In addition to these suggestions, the NNEC also recommends a high net metering size limit, allowing all customer classes to participate, allowing a one year roll over period for excess power, not limiting total net metering capacity and covering all on-site generation methods.

“By following these suggestions, New Jersey went from virtually no solar power a few years ago to being able to realistically meet 20 percent of its energy needs with renewables by 2020,” said Rose. “To ensure clean, reliable electricity, the entire country must follow—and improve on—the Garden State’s example.”

The $148 million Solar America Initiative seeks to accelerate the development of advanced solar electric technologies while reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels and improving the environment.

The Network for New Energy Choices is committed to providing local governments with ideas and information on generating clean, affordable power from local, renewable energy sources. Working with a growing coalition of nonprofit organizations, municipal officials, business leaders and academics, NNEC promotes creative ideas for financing community-based clean energy, helping to dispel misinformation about renewable energy in the media and advocating for critical utility policy reforms that will usher in a new world of energy choices for all Americans.

Solar Water Purifier

Solar and Heat Tips Newsletter January 2009 Part 4

Solar Water Purifier

The Solar Water Purifier is a rectangular shaped unit that contains an array of 32 shallow, square trays interconnected by a series of weaves. The trays are made from a black plastic sheet that is vacuum formed onto an aluminium pattern to reach the desired cell shapes.

The panel of cells is covered by a sheet of white-glass and sealed using the surface tensions of water vapour produced in the unit. The undersides of the black plastic trays have been thermally insulated to maximise heat absorption. The unit is framed by an aluminium mount for strength and to keep shadowing to a minimum. It is also fitted with folding legs, so that the entire system is inclined at 12.5 to the horizontal.

Polluted water is fed into the unit and cascades down, filling the trays. The sun's radiated heat shines through the glass onto the water. The sun rays are only partially absorbed by the water and then more completely by the black plastic lining of each cell which in turn heats the water more.

As the water is heated to 85, water vapour condenses on the inside surface of the glass and runs down into the purified water channel into a collection container. The unique design of the cells maximises heat absorption and condensation which increases the pure water output.

The ultra-violet radiation from the sun combined with prolonged exposure times prove to be extremely effective for killing commonly occurring bacteria and other water borne diseases.

Other pollutants do not evaporate and are flushed away in unpurified water into a chamber called the 'overflow channel'. Virtually none of the dissolved solid waste is collected in the trays. If the SWP is being used consistently there should be no build up at all. If solid impure material has been collected in the trays, the hardened deposit can be easily removed by using a diluted acid solution such as citric acid (or lemon juice).

The water output of the unit can be maximised when it is correctly positioned to the sun. John recommends rotating the unit every 30 mins or so throughout the day, so its shadow is underneath itself, effectively tracking the sun. This will increase the output by about 30%.

The cell geometry maximises the resultant condensation and high yields of pure water are obtained. Multiple units can be connected in a series to produce larger volumes of water.

The Solar Water Purifier can produce about 6 litres of pure water per square meter per day at 20C ambient and 9 litres at 35C. So an individual unit (which is 1/3 m) can produce up to 3 litres per day.

Solar and Heat Tips Newsletter January 2009 Part 3

Solar Taxi

A Swiss inventor has completed the first trip around the world in a solar-powered car.

Louis Palmer travelled 32,000 miles through 38 different countries since setting off in July last year

The car arrived in the Polish city of Poznan in time for the UN conference on climate change The car arrived in the Polish city of Poznan in time for the UN conference on climate change.

Mr Palmer said he wanted to raise awareness of alternative energy sources as delegates from some 190 nations work towards a new treaty to limit pollution.

He said: "I hope really that the car industry they hear these signs and they really change and make electric cars in the future,"

Mr Palmer's prototype was not cheap to manufacture - it cost him about the same as two Ferrari sports cars.

But he reckons his invention would sell at around 8,700 if the big car makers manufactured it.

Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

New Ultra Efficient Motor Just Sips Electricity

Nova Torque Inc. in California have announced on their website that they have now developed a brushless dc. electric motor that runs on 10% to 30% less electricity than conventional electric motors.

Since billions of electric motors consume more than half of all electricity in the world, any improvements in motor electricity consumption could represent a massive difference in world electricity consumption.

DC sources of electricity such as solar power systems do not now require an expensive dc./ac. inverter to operate these cheaper, lighter high torque dc. motors thus potentially lowering the cost of many power systems.

Applications include motor drives for equipment where high efficiency, high speed, continuous torque and cool operation are important.

For example, Pumps, dishwashers, geothermal, pool, well, irrigation, HVAC & refrigeration: air conditioning, freezers, ventilation fans, cars, scooters, bikes, golf carts, forklifts, marine, motion control robotics, factory automation, conveyors and so on.

Smaller lighter conical magnets are used in these compact newly patented motors that require 40% less steel and 50% less copper to manufacture reported Anita Hamilton in Time magazine.

Sizes of the new Nova Torque motors range fro 500 watts to 150 KW or Fractional Horse Power up to 200 Horse Power.

Specialty: aeronautics, down-hole motorsa patented technology which provides unprecedented levels of energy efficiency. We are proud to offer an important breakthrough in the efficiency sector of the Clean Tech market. Read more

Nova Torque motors provide more output power in smaller sizes than any other electric motor on the market today. Our unique DC brushless motor design provides numerous advantages over conventional motors, and is ideally suited to applications where high efficiency, high speed, greater continuous torque or cooler operation is critical.

This ground-breaking motor technology has countless possible applications, including:

News & Events

Dec. 4, 2008

NovaTorque Recognized by the World Economic Forum

Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland

Jan. 26-28, 2009

Visit NovaTorque at the 2009 AHR Expo.

McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois

Upcoming Products

PurePowerTM-250

115mm x 148mm, 7.9kg, 6 Nm nominal torque, 1HP @ 1200 RPM,

> 90% efficiency. Ideal for HVAC and pump applications. Samples available Q1 '09

PurePowerTM-150

60mm x 124mm, 1.7kg, 1.5 Nm nominal torque, 1.5HP @ 8000 RPM,

> 90% efficiency. Ideal for factory automation, pumps. Samples available Q2 '09

World Economic Forum

December 4, 2008 -- Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland -- NovaTorque, Inc. has created a patented electric motor technology which represents an important breakthrough for the motor industry and an exciting development in the "clean tech" field. NovaTorque's innovative motor structure provides:

Much greater efficiency than existing motor technologies

Higher torque in smaller sizes

Better thermal performance

Competitive manufacturing costs.

Importance of Motor Efficiency

Motors consume about half of all electricity produced. Because there are billions of electric motors in use, even small efficiency improvements could make a huge difference in total electricity consumption and save $100 billion annually in energy costs. NovaTorque motors are an astounding 10-30% more efficient than conventional motors. Their unique design is also more compact, runs cooler, and produces more output power than any other type of small motor.

NovaTorque History

NovaTorque's technology grew from the confluence of several factors: improved magnetic modeling, improved materials and techniques with which to make motors, and the need for much more efficient motors. NovaTorque has spent four years developing this new technology, which can scale from fractional HP (500W) to greater than 200 HP (150 kW). The motors are DC brushless motors (also categorized as Electronically Commutated Permanent Magnet motors) and run with standard motor drive electronics.

Solar and Heat Tips Newsletter January 2009 Part 2

Solar and Heat Tips Newsletter January 2009 Part 2

Solar Billy

The Solar Billy is a tubular-shaped kettle powered by solar energy. It is 750ml long and presently designed to hold and heat up to 1.2 litres of water which is enough to make some five regular sized cups of coffee or tea.

As mentioned above, the Solar Billy uses existing evacuated (or vacuum) solar technology to capture the solar energy needed to power the kettle. Vacuum tube technology is superior for heating water because the vacuum insulates the heat without blocking out sunlight. Also, unlike other types of solar collectors, evacuated tube solar collectors still provide excellent results on cloudy days. This is because the tubes are able to absorb the energy from infra-red rays, which can pass through clouds.

The evacuated tube is comprised of two layers of strong glass with a vacuum (or void) between the two layers. On the outside surface of the inner layer is a black coating which absorbs, then transmits the solar rays through the vacuum to heat the water. As mentioned above, the Solar Billy also has a "highly reflective panel" located within the void between the evacuated tube and the outer tube. This feature generates a "mirror effect" which dramatically increases the Billy's efficiency and capacity to heat as the reflective panel maximises the sun's energy which can be reflected and absorbed by the Billy.

Also, the cylindrical shape of Billy enables the inner tube of the vessel to passively track or follow the sun's path as the sun moves throughout the day thereby maximising exposure to sunlight.

The Solar Billy prototype stands on tripod legs. The legs fold back onto the Billy which enables it to fit snugly into a carry bag for transportation. (However, the inventor is designing another method of "standing" the Billy which will work in conjunction with a hard cover).

The inventor says the Solar Billy would take 35 minutes to three hours to get water hot enough to make a cup of tea or coffee depending on the climatic conditions.

Robert F McMahon & Associates Pty Ltd

Level 20 68 Pitt Street
Sydney, New South Wales
2000
AU

Solar Power’s Growth Depends on Key Policy Changes

Matt Painter

For Immediate Release

More Info: Matthew Painter 212/991.1831

Chris Cooper 212/991.1830

After a comprehensive analysis of the obstacles to solar power’s growth, the Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) has put forth key policy suggestions to advance the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar America Initiative (SAI). The NNEC recommends the removal of infrastructural barriers and the implementation of policy changes that will expand net metering’s potential as a solar incentive.

Net metering is crucial to increasing the demand for solar power while decreasing the cost to consumers. It allows customers who utilize solar power to sell electricity back to the utility, helping them recoup their capital expenditures. Currently, 35 states offer net metering. However, not all states offer equal incentives. New Jersey, California, Colorado and New Mexico have the best net metering regulations.

“If the DOE’s initiative is serious about promoting solar power, it should take best practices from net metering successes in these states and push them to be norm nation-wide,” said NNEC Research Director James Rose.

The Network is calling for the SAI to do that by:

• Making interconnection standards uniform

Consistent interconnection standards are the best way to ensure a safe and fair connection to the electrical grid. Without them, utilities and state regulators can create burdensome and unnecessary requirements that make solar photovoltaic systems prohibitively expensive.

• Making net metering a part of a broader incentives system

Net metering should be paired with rebates and tax credits that help offset the initial start-up costs of a solar electric system.

• Creating a streamlined and transparent application and installation process for net metering

Getting approval for a net metering project should be simple and quick—without the burdening bureaucracy that many states impose.

• Thinking of net metering as a demand reduction strategy rather than a supply strategy

Net metering’s primary function is demand reduction—solar is especially effective at reducing demand during peak hours. Electric distribution companies should compensate net metering consumers at the same rate as customers who reduce their own demand by measures such as conservation: the retail rate.

In addition to these suggestions, the NNEC also recommends a high net metering size limit, allowing all customer classes to participate, allowing a one year roll over period for excess power, not limiting total net metering capacity and covering all on-site generation methods.

“By following these suggestions, New Jersey went from virtually no solar power a few years ago to being able to realistically meet 20 percent of its energy needs with renewables by 2020,” said Rose. “To ensure clean, reliable electricity, the entire country must follow—and improve on—the Garden State’s example.”

The $148 million Solar America Initiative seeks to accelerate the development of advanced solar electric technologies while reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels and improving the environment.

The Network for New Energy Choices is committed to providing local governments with ideas and information on generating clean, affordable power from local, renewable energy sources. Working with a growing coalition of nonprofit organizations, municipal officials, business leaders and academics, NNEC promotes creative ideas for financing community-based clean energy, helping to dispel misinformation about renewable energy in the media and advocating for critical utility policy reforms that will usher in a new world of energy choices for all Americans.

MEDIA ADVISORY: America Needs a True Renewable Energy Policy

Media Briefing on Environmental Coalition Release of Biofuels Platform

Noon EST, Wednesday, February 11th

WASHINGTON – According to a 2008 report from the Energy Information Administration, in 2007, the federal government supported corn ethanol to the tune of $3.04 billion. That amount is more than 3 times the federal support provided to wind, solar, and geothermal energy combined. The continued federal largess lavished on corn ethanol comes with little or no return to taxpayers in energy security, protection from global climate change, or reducing the cost of driving.

Despite the clear detriments of corn ethanol, and in an effort to address corn ethanol overcapacity, USDA and the EPA have commenced discussions aimed at raising ethanol blending levels in the United States, to as high as E15 from the current level of E10.

The blind rush by lawmakers to embrace the failed promise of current conventional biofuels has led to growing skepticism among many in the environmental community that even the much touted next-generation biofuels will become a viable component of a larger US renewable energy portfolio.

On Wednesday, February 11th, the Clean Air Task Force, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Network for New Energy Choices and NY PIRG will release a comprehensive biofuels platform to address the critical and immediate energy challenges facing America.

WHEN: Wednesday, February 11th 2009 at 12:00 NOON – 1:00 PM Eastern Time

WHAT: Teleconference briefing for accredited journalists for release of environmental coalition’s biofuels policy platform.

CALL INFORMATION: Please contact Don Carr, EWG, (202) 939-9141, don@ewg.org

WHO: Craig Cox, Midwest Vice President, Environmental Working Group Kate McMahon, Energy Policy Campaigner, Friends of the Earth
Dulce Fernandes, Associate Director, Network for New Energy Choices
Jonathan Lewis, Clean Air Task Force

Reporters who wish to view an advance embargoed copy of the biofuels platform or who have questions pertaining to the teleconference should contact Don Carr, EWG, (202) 939-9141 don@ewg.org.

Report Cards Weigh States’ Commitment to Cost Effective Renewable Energy

Report Cards Weigh States’ Commitment to Cost Effective Renewable Energy

States are graded on policies that encourage people to produce their own electricity

Contact:
Regina Weiss
Communications Coordinator
Regina@NewEnergyChoices.org
212-991-1069
917-288-5251

The Network for New Energy Choices has issued its 2008 report cards grading the states’ policies for allowing homeowners and small business owners who generate renewable energy to connect to the grid and receive credit for the electricity they produce.

This year’s report has a number of bright spots that are particularly welcome given the declining economy, Americans’ desire for energy independence, and widespread concern about climate change.

Highlights since the 2007 edition of Freeing the Grid:

• Three states – Arizona, Illinois and Florida – took major steps forward by creating new programs for homeowners and businesses that want to generate their own wind or solar energy, connect to the grid, and receive credit.
• Nine states significantly improved their regulations for allowing people who generate their own renewable energy to receive credit. The nine states are Arkansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont.
• Six states and the District of Columbia significantly improved their standards for connecting renewable wind and solar systems to the local electric grid – Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Congressman Jay Inslee of Washington State has called for a national commitment to renewable energy on par with the effort five decades ago to put a man on the moon. In his foreword to Freeing the Grid 2008 Inslee notes that well-designed state policies for renewable energy systems, “can read like ‘open for business’ signs to developers, manufacturers and innovative entrepreneurs. I encourage my fellow federal and state policymakers who want to realize a clean energy future to read this 2008 edition as a blueprint for how they can actively help to spur significant economic growth and energy security in their own states and communities,” Inslee said.

The best state renewable energy policies are those that maximize credit for excess electricity sent to the grid, reduce unnecessary and burdensome red tape and special fees, set clear goals and targets, and provide incentives to encourage homeowners and businesses to install renewable energy systems. States that perform poorly have policies that discourage homeowners and businesses from investing in renewable energy systems, for example, by requiring well-established, proven technologies to undergo rigorous, time-consuming, expensive reviews that dramatically increase the costs of the systems and the amount of time it takes for them to pay for themselves.

In addition to grading states on their policies, Freeing the Grid, serves as a cautionary tale of how even the best of intentions can be derailed by a poor regulatory process. The report’s “Worst Practices” section tells the sad story of Texas, which enacted a law designed to promote net metering “as rapidly as possible,” only to see it derailed by industry opponents. “Net metering” is the provision of a state’s law that allows customers to receive credit for the energy they produce when they are connected to the grid, but opponents of the Texas law took advantage of the fact that the legislation failed to define “net-metering.” As a result, the law is currently interpreted in a way that removes most of the financial incentive from a customer-sited wind or solar energy system. While the net-metering law the Texas legislature passed has the potential to earn an “A” from NNEC, they wound up with an “F” instead. “It’s a shame. Texas could be a big solar market,” said NNEC’s James Rose, one of the primary authors of the report.

NNEC received a 2008 Special Recognition Award from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) for its multi-year achievements with Freeing the Grid.

“NNEC has been a real mover, and has propelled interconnection and net metering into the spotlight. Freeing the Grid is leading us to greening the grid,” said IREC Executive Director Jane Weissman.

"Freeing the Grid has been an invaluable tool in state utility commission rulemakings; IREC makes a habit of handing out copies to commissioners and commission staff. Time after time, Freeing the Grid has opened a dialogue about the specific steps that can be taken to improve state rules. The classic moment was when a commissioner raised Freeing the Grid in the air at a workshop and said 'We got a B last year and we're going to get an A this year,'" said IREC's Jason Keyes

“If incentives are the engine that drives solar markets, net metering and interconnection standards are the road. Freeing the Grid provides policymakers with a map to sustainable solar development,” said Adam Browning, of The Vote Solar Initiative.

While the quality of net metering programs vary widely, today only ten states are left without some type of statewide net metering program – Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee.

Arizona: Regulatory Maze Creates Green Business Gridlock

Arizona: Regulatory Maze Creates Green Business Gridlock

Local governments undermine Arizona’s green energy goals

Contact:
Regina Weiss
Communications Coordinator
Regina@NewEnergyChoices.org
212-991-1069
917-288-5251

While the State of Arizona is making it easier and more profitable for people to generate their own renewable energy, some local governments in the state are making it harder and more expensive.

To encourage homeowners and small businesses to invest in small-scale solar and wind generation systems, the state wrote new rules this year to accommodate greater clean energy generation and to ensure that people will receive full credit for the excess energy their systems produce. Meanwhile, disorganization, inconsistent permit requirements and wide variations in fees from town to town are creating barriers to these systems at the local level. For example, while some towns, such as Bisbee, have waived permit fees for small scale solar energy installations, others charge $1,000 or more for a permit for a home energy system. Still other jurisdictions require an engineering stamp, adding hundreds more to the cost.

According to Tom Alston, vice president of Arizona’s Solar Energy Industries Association, permit requirements are a “hodgepodge” in the state. “The Maricopa Association of Governments has created a standard set of permit requirements for solar installations that towns can adopt, but are not required to, which defines what inspectors look for,” Alton explained. “Tucson has taken a progressive approach and eliminated permit fees. It has also hired a full time solar coordinator to streamline the process. Some cities, including Mesa, have no permit requirement at all; anyone can go ahead and install a small-scale renewable energy system as long as they pass a rigorous utility inspection.”

Other contractors cited disorganization on the part of permitting agencies, the lack of clear, established permit requirements as obstacles. While some towns have a simple mail-in form to issue a permit, others require an in-person visit. In addition to vastly different fees, documentation required varies greatly from one place to the next. Many inspectors are unfamiliar with solar energy systems, and in some towns homeowners associations keep people from installing solar systems, despite the fact that Arizona law specifically prohibits them from doing so.

Still, according to Alston, fees, not permit requirements, are the biggest barrier in the state. He points out that Phoenix and Scottsdale, where fees are usually under $150, are where the bulk of renewable systems are installed. By contrast, the City of Glendale charges $800 to $1,000 permit fee for a residential system.

Many cities, such as The City of Gilbert, charge a percentage of the system’s cost, essentially penalizing someone who installs a system that generates more electricity, even if they don’t take significantly more staff time to permit. For Arizona Solar Electric, the company for which Alston works, permit fees this year averaged $45 in Marana and $50 in Peoria, while averaging $781 in Glendale. The single highest fee was in Goodyear, where the permit process for one installation was $1,306. With Arizona’s low electricity rates, Alston believes that high permit fees act as a disincentive to small scale renewable systems, as they add significantly to the time it takes for the systems to pay for themselves.

A new state law, if enforced, should discourage local governments in Arizona from the blanket requirement of engineering stamps, and requires cities and counties to justify their fees. The law also requires that the state establish a study committee to improve the process.

Nor is Arizona alone in having local governments undermining statewide efforts to promote small-scale solar and wind energy systems. With consumers demanding energy independence and widespread concern about climate change, more than 40 states have enacted laws making it easier for homeowners and businesses to produce their own electricity, but a new report by the Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) shows how towns often thwart the intent of those laws.

Taking the Red Tape Out of Green Power offers a road map with specific recommendations for local governments that want to remove regulatory barriers and fees that complicate what should be simple procedures and inflate costs beyond the point where the systems can be expected to pay for themselves in a reasonable amount of time. You can read the report here.

“Photovoltaic solar and small wind turbine generators are well established technologies, with proven, off-the-shelf systems that come ready to install,” said NNEC’s director Rabin. “While the upfront costs of these systems are high, in today’s energy marketplace they also pay for themselves more rapidly than ever before, making them an increasingly attractive way to confront rising energy costs, but people who want to install these clean, efficient solar and wind systems can find themselves drowning in a sea of red tape.”

NNEC’s report has been endorsed by the American Planning Association’s Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Division, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Vote Solar Initiative, American Wind Energy Association, Solar Energy Industries Association, The American Institute of Architects and other national, regional and local groups.

“This report will help local government officials to facilitate the use of renewable energy in their communities at a time when hundreds of cities and counties across the country are looking for ways to reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the effort to fight global climate change,” said Damian Pitt, a certified planner who is the principal author of the report.

Long Island: Regulatory Maze Creates Sustainable Energy Gridlock

Long Island: Regulatory Maze Creates Sustainable Energy Gridlock

Local governments thwart their own environmental goals

Contact:
Regina Weiss
Communications Coordinator
Regina@NewEnergyChoices.org
212-991-1069
917-288-5251

Mineola, NY, September 22, 2008 – The Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) released a report today detailing how some towns and cities undermine local investment in green energy, and frustrate residents and business owners, by making it difficult to install small-scale solar and wind systems. Taking the Red Tape Out of Green Power outlines simple steps that towns, including those on Long Island, should take to break through their renewable energy gridlock.

Solar contractor Steven Engelmann recently told NNEC that local permit requirements on Long Island cause “by far the greatest delay in the industry, requiring so much time and energy, and delaying jobs to the extent that we have a hard time financially with our business because of it.”

Engelmann, who works in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, said that “every town and village has very different requirements from one another. If we could have a standardized package of requirements for permitting in each county or for both counties, we would be able to manage the process better. Now, every town we apply in has different requirements than the town before, so we are developing a database of all the towns and villages and what their individual requirements are, which is a huge burden on our business.”

“People who want to install these clean, efficient solar and wind systems can find themselves drowning in a sea of red tape,” said NNEC director Kyle Rabin. “And this goes way beyond a few frustrated individuals, affecting the local economy and the whole community. While the electricity generated may be used primarily by a single home or business, the benefits of these customer-owned renewable systems extend to everyone, including economic growth, reduced pollution, increased local energy independence, and reduced pressure on the local electricity grid. Streamlining the permit process will also give predictability to the private sector, and lay clear ground rules for small-scale renewable energy systems. But failure to streamline the process takes the wind out of towns’ efforts to create a green economy and prevents those who want these systems from saving energy and money.”

NNEC was joined at a press conference today by Long Island environmental advocates and a group representing contractors who install small-scale solar and wind energy systems in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. You can read NNEC’s report or at www.newenergychoices.org.

Englelmann’s company has a full time person who handles the permitting process which, he pointed out, “adds a huge cost to each system we install for our customers. Some towns require architectural review boards, or building permit review boards, which deal with the aesthetics of how systems will look. These take lots of time and energy and have stopped several of our projects from moving forward.”

Kevin Mac Leod, chair of the Long Island Solar Energy Industries Association, echoed these concerns. “When our contractor members go to the towns to get permits to install solar and wind, too often they are frustrated by high fees and engineering requirements that border on the ridiculous. Typically, they have to submit three or four copies of architectural sealed blueprints, tax bills, and a current survey. Not only is this documentation unnecessary, it can add more than $2,500 to the cost of the job, making it less and less cost-effective for the homeowner.

“There are towns that are doing a good job, and we want to highlight that also. The Town of Southampton, for example, rates an A+. They don’t require a permit for roof mounted solar, just an electrical inspection. As a result, they’ve got more solar and wind installations than anywhere else on Long Island.”

Mac Leod added that over the next six months LISEIA will be analyzing the permit and inspection processes of towns throughout Nassau and Suffolk, and issuing a series of report cards.

Skyrocketing energy costs, the desire for energy independence, and increasing public concern about air quality and climate change are increasing demand for solar and wind systems. NNEC recommends that towns and cities take the following steps to streamline the ability of residents and businesses to install these renewable energy systems.

• Remove barriers to photovoltaic solar systems from building codes and simplify the permit application process. For example, exempt solar and wind energy devices from building codes’ standard height limits.
• Allow common small-scale solar energy systems to be installed on a rooftop without a building permit. Alternatively, simplify the permit process so that a contractor or homeowner can fill out a simple form and get a permit on the spot.
• Train building and electrical inspectors so that they are familiar with standard renewable energy systems.
• Waive permit fees for renewable energy installations or adopt reasonable flat fees for permits. In many jurisdictions, permit fees are a percentage of the cost of the system, significantly inflating the price of installation.
• Incorporate information about wind energy opportunities into community planning.
• Establish small wind turbines as permitted uses, with appropriate design guidelines, performance standards, and review processes.

In addition, state governments, including New York, can facilitate the process by mandating that towns adopt consistent and appropriate permit requirements and establish uniform standards, and educating building and electrical inspectors about the proper installation of common renewable systems.

“A regulatory patchwork is very damaging to the renewable energy industry and to the consumer,” said Gordian Raacke, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island, a not-for-profit advocacy organization. “It doesn't make sense to provide tax credits and LIPA rebates as an incentive, and then have a portion of that eaten up by inconsistent regulations and costs that come with unnecessary delay.”

“Streamlining the review process will save consumers money, increase green jobs in our communities and promote renewable technologies, said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “The public is seeking these renewable choices and we need government to help us make this choice a reality. Revamping antiquated registration and installation policies for renewable energy systems needs to be on the top of the list for all municipalities.”

“This report will help local government officials to facilitate the use of renewable energy in their communities at a time when hundreds of cities and counties across the country are looking for ways to reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the effort to fight global climate change,” said Damian Pitt, a certified planner who is the principal author of the report.

“It is well known that Long Island is made up of many local governments,” said Neal Lewis, executive director of Long Island Neighborhood Network. “Unfortunately, those multiple jurisdictions tend to arrive at different interpretations of the State building code, which fails to address solar directly. In order for other renewable technologies to really move ahead to gain widespread acceptance, it would make things much easier if the State was to amend its building code to eliminate unnecessary impediments to solar installations.”

The peer reviewed report by the Network for New Energy Choices has been endorsed by the American Planning Association’s Environment, Natural Resources and Energy Division, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, The Vote Solar Initiative, American Wind Energy Association, Solar Energy Industries Association, American Institute of Architects and other national, regional and local groups.