Counties Streamline Solar Permitting Process

The Long Island Power Authority is partnering with the Nassau and Suffolk County Planning Commissions to standardize the permit process for installing residential solar electric and hot water systems.

Officials announced the Long Island Unified Solar Permitting Initiative (LIUSPI) at the in Farmingdale on Sept. 23.

The regional collaboration grew from the need to uniformly handle the application for and approval of residential solar electric and water systems in each county. According to LIPA, this initiative is one of the first of its kind in the country.    

"Eliminating the red tape from green energy will allow our customers to have a better experience during the permitting and installation process," said LIPA Chief Operating Officer Michael Hervey, adding that he hopes the initiative will  encourage more homeowners to take advantage of LIPA's solar programs and help to foster new jobs in the local solar market.

Currently, the solar installation approval process on Long Island is different for each town and village, sometimes resulting in delays and extra costs for residents who want to install the systems on their homes to improve the environment and lower their energy bills.

"Inconsistent local permit requirements can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of installing a solar electric system," said Gordian Raacke, executive director of the nonprofit Renewable Energy Long Island. "Having the same straightforward rules for solar permits all over Long Island will make it easier and cheaper for homeowners to generate clean electricity from sunshine while ensuring that these systems are properly designed."

Highlights of LIUSPI include waived or minimal application fees, providing permit determinations within 14 days of submission of a completed application, creation of a new "Solar Energy System Fast Track Permit Application" as an alternative to existing building permit forms and creation of a central registry of solar installation.

LIPA will provide $15,000 to each township and $5,000 to each of the first ten villages in Nassau and in Suffolk that adopt the authorizing legislation sufficient to accomplish the key components of the LIUSPI plan by Dec. 31.

"We are particularly pleased to partner for the first time with our colleagues at the Nassau County Planning Commission to create this process to streamline the solar permitting process," said David Calone, chairman of the Suffolk County Planning Commission.

Since its inception, LIPA's solar programs have rebated more than $111 million for the installation of 4,436 PV systems.

"One way to encourage greater use of solar power is to make the process as easy as possible, and adopting a unified solar code for our region is a great first step," said Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy.