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U.S. Will Save $1.2 Trillion Going Solar if We Fix This
The big idea:
If cities and states cut solar permitting costs, families nationwide could save up to $1.2 trillion over 25 years.
Why it matters
Solar permits are a maze that change state to state and town to town. In a Heatmap article that came out yesterday, non-profit Permit Power released a new analysis showing that permitting reform could save Americans more than $1.2 Trillion over the next 25 years.
Many people listening who are interested in solar may have heard that rooftop solar is far more expensive in the U.S. than in Australia and Europe.
In the U.S., a typical 7-kW home system costs $28,000. In Australia, it’s about $4,000. In Germany, about $10,000 after a simple two-page form. That gap comes mostly from red tape, not hardware costs, which have fallen dramatically since the turn of the century.
Reform also opens the door for many more families. With faster, simpler rules lowering prices, 18.2 million more households could go solar. That means 198.1 GW of cleaner power for American homes and businesses.
Now that the solar industry is faced with an unfriendly federal administration, states are the battleground. Luckily, states have more power than we often think.
At the American Solar Energy Society conference this summer, one of the speakers mentioned that 70% of the locked-in carbon reduction in the U.S. since the turn of the century has come as a direct result of state and local action.
State and local elections are much easier to influence than national ones. If you’re on a local town board or city council, an easy way to lower permitting times and costs in your area is to encourage your jurisdiction to adopt SolarAPP+.
SolarAPP+ is an online permit tool that helps cities approve home solar and batteries faster. It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, first managed by NREL, and is now run by the SolarAPP Foundation. Built with building officials, inspectors, standards groups, and installers, it checks standard plans against code and flags issues right away.
This cuts paperwork and delays, lowers “soft costs,” and helps families get solar at a lower price.
We may not have power over what’s going on in D.C., but we have influence over what’s happening in our backyards.
If we fix the rules, solar gets cheaper, more people put it on their homes, and we all save money as a result. If you’re interested in a future with more solar energy, one of the most impactful things you can do is help cut red tape for solar installations in your area.
American Solar Shingle Manufacturer Goes Out of Business
The big idea:
Solar shingles cover a gap in the market for high-income homeowners who really care about aesthetics. They entered the market with a lot of fanfare, but selling them hasn’t proven easy.
SunTegra, a U.S. maker of solar shingles, is closing its doors after more than a decade due to tariffs, rule changes, and no easy access to cash.
Why it matters
Solar shingles give homes a cleaner roof look than normal solar panels. Rather than adding a bunch of panels, homeowners can add hundreds of small shingles that produce power while looking like regular roof tiles.
SunTegra started in 2014 with roof-integrated shingles and tiles. Their design overlapped just like shingles and used a special vent to keep the tiles cooler and increase the energy output.
Unfortunately, due to regulatory hurdles and trying to navigate tariffs, Suntegra had to close its doors, even though demand for shingles remained steady.
As someone who works for an installer, I can tell you that we love panels more than shingles. As cool as they look, shingles just have so much more that can go wrong. Imagine adding 300 potential failure points into a system rather than 20.
SunTegra is in the process of notifying installers and customers of its shutdown. A service line will stay to answer any questions people have in this transition.
Sources:
Tariffs, rampant industry hurdles force American solar manufacturer out of business
Simpler Solar Regulations Would Save Americans $1.2 Trillion
About SolarAPP+
As Cheap as Our Peers: How cutting red tape can lower the cost of rooftop solar and offset rising utility bills
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit exactsolar.substack.com
View all episodes
By Exact SolarThe big idea:
If cities and states cut solar permitting costs, families nationwide could save up to $1.2 trillion over 25 years.
Why it matters
Solar permits are a maze that change state to state and town to town. In a Heatmap article that came out yesterday, non-profit Permit Power released a new analysis showing that permitting reform could save Americans more than $1.2 Trillion over the next 25 years.
Many people listening who are interested in solar may have heard that rooftop solar is far more expensive in the U.S. than in Australia and Europe.
In the U.S., a typical 7-kW home system costs $28,000. In Australia, it’s about $4,000. In Germany, about $10,000 after a simple two-page form. That gap comes mostly from red tape, not hardware costs, which have fallen dramatically since the turn of the century.
Reform also opens the door for many more families. With faster, simpler rules lowering prices, 18.2 million more households could go solar. That means 198.1 GW of cleaner power for American homes and businesses.
Now that the solar industry is faced with an unfriendly federal administration, states are the battleground. Luckily, states have more power than we often think.
At the American Solar Energy Society conference this summer, one of the speakers mentioned that 70% of the locked-in carbon reduction in the U.S. since the turn of the century has come as a direct result of state and local action.
State and local elections are much easier to influence than national ones. If you’re on a local town board or city council, an easy way to lower permitting times and costs in your area is to encourage your jurisdiction to adopt SolarAPP+.
SolarAPP+ is an online permit tool that helps cities approve home solar and batteries faster. It was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, first managed by NREL, and is now run by the SolarAPP Foundation. Built with building officials, inspectors, standards groups, and installers, it checks standard plans against code and flags issues right away.
This cuts paperwork and delays, lowers “soft costs,” and helps families get solar at a lower price.
We may not have power over what’s going on in D.C., but we have influence over what’s happening in our backyards.
If we fix the rules, solar gets cheaper, more people put it on their homes, and we all save money as a result. If you’re interested in a future with more solar energy, one of the most impactful things you can do is help cut red tape for solar installations in your area.
American Solar Shingle Manufacturer Goes Out of Business
The big idea:
Solar shingles cover a gap in the market for high-income homeowners who really care about aesthetics. They entered the market with a lot of fanfare, but selling them hasn’t proven easy.
SunTegra, a U.S. maker of solar shingles, is closing its doors after more than a decade due to tariffs, rule changes, and no easy access to cash.
Why it matters
Solar shingles give homes a cleaner roof look than normal solar panels. Rather than adding a bunch of panels, homeowners can add hundreds of small shingles that produce power while looking like regular roof tiles.
SunTegra started in 2014 with roof-integrated shingles and tiles. Their design overlapped just like shingles and used a special vent to keep the tiles cooler and increase the energy output.
Unfortunately, due to regulatory hurdles and trying to navigate tariffs, Suntegra had to close its doors, even though demand for shingles remained steady.
As someone who works for an installer, I can tell you that we love panels more than shingles. As cool as they look, shingles just have so much more that can go wrong. Imagine adding 300 potential failure points into a system rather than 20.
SunTegra is in the process of notifying installers and customers of its shutdown. A service line will stay to answer any questions people have in this transition.
Sources:
Tariffs, rampant industry hurdles force American solar manufacturer out of business
Simpler Solar Regulations Would Save Americans $1.2 Trillion
About SolarAPP+
As Cheap as Our Peers: How cutting red tape can lower the cost of rooftop solar and offset rising utility bills
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit exactsolar.substack.com