Solar Permitting Made Simple, Safe & Standard. Gary Nordeen, WSU Energy Program Mia Devine, NWSEED Paul Andersson, City of Bellevue

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1 Solar Permitting Made Simple, Safe & Standard Gary Nordeen, WSU Energy Program Mia Devine, NWSEED Paul Andersson, City of Bellevue December 16, 2014

2 ABOUT MRSC Research and consulting services for Washington local governments at no direct cost. Research and consulting services for Washington local governments at no direct cost. Legal and policy consultation Legal and policy consultation Research support Research support Training opportunities Online Training Opportunities research tools Timely news and information Sample document library MRSC.org

3 WEBINAR AGENDA 1. Background on NW Solar Communities and how permitting plays in 2. Overview of change to IRC Section M Solar permitting best practices & resources 4. Bellevue s work to support solar 5. Questions / Feedback

4 THE BIG PICTURE

5 OUR PRESENTERS Patti Miller-Crowley Department of Commerce Paul Andersson City of Bellevue Gary Nordeen WSU Energy Program Mia Devine Northwest SEED

6 ROOFTOP SOLAR PV SYSTEMS 101 What is a solar rooftop PV system? A system that converts solar radiation (sunlight) into usable direct current (DC) electricity A system will include Solar modules Inverter(s) to change DC to alternating current Attachment hardware

7 IMPACTS AND BENEFITS OF IMPROVEMENTS Inconsistent and unclear processes lead installers to pass unnecessary costs along to customers Nationally, 1/3 of the surveyed installers said they avoid operating in at least 3 jurisdictions due to their onerous permitting requirements Potential savings for a typical residential system: $1,000 to $2, days Source: NREL Technical Report TP-6A Provide a streamlined permit process for PV systems that is simple, fast, and cost effective for permit applicants and jurisdictions, while ensuring system safety.

8 PERMITTING WORK GROUP MEMBERS City of Edmonds City of Seattle City of Bellevue City of Kirkland City of Portland City of Hillsboro City of Eugene Clackamas County Lake County Solar Washington Sustainable Connections Washington State University Energy Program WA Department of Commerce Solar Oregon Energy Trust of Oregon Oregon Building Codes Division Oregon Department of Energy Facilitator: NWSEED Permitting Work Group

9 PERMITTING WORK GROUP TASKS COMPLETED TO DATE 1Researched national best practices 2Documented the current permitting 3Modified national templates for local use 4Created a consistent permitting process (building and electrical) for standard systems 5Implemented locally, supported statewide adoption

10 RESIDENTIAL ROOFTOP SOLAR PV SYSTEMS Goal: Make solar energy cost-competitive without subsidy by 2020 Installation of residential rooftop solar photovoltaic systems just got easier and less expensive!

11 WHAT HAS CHANGED TO MAKE INSTALLATIONS EASIER? The SBCC approved a change to IRC Section M2302 effective July 1, 2014 This change allows the installation of residential rooftop solar systems meeting specific criteria without the need for an engineering analysis. Engineering costs can add an additional cost of $500 - $2500+ Additional project wait times could be up to 8 weeks

12 WHAT EXEMPTS A PV SYSTEM FROM ENGINEERING? The solar photovoltaic panel system shall be designed for the wind speed of the local area, and shall be installed per the manufacturer's specifications. The ground snow load does not exceed 70 pounds per square foot

13 WHAT EXEMPTS A PV SYSTEM FROM ENGINEERING? Photovoltaic modules are not mounted higher than 18 inches above the surface of the roofing to which they are affixed.

14 WHAT EXEMPTS A PV SYSTEM FROM ENGINEERING? Supports for solar modules are to be installed to spread the dead load across as many roof framing members as needed, so that no point load exceeds 50 pounds.

15 DOES THIS RULE EXEMPT PV FROM PERMITS? No. However: Some jurisdictions have chosen to exempt solar PV projects from building permits or now use simple over-the-counter permits; An electrical permit issued by the jurisdiction or from L&I is still required; and Fire code requirements must be met

16 PERMITTING RESOURCES

17 TOOLS FOR IMPLEMENTING CODE CHANGE Info Sheet Over-the-Counter Permit Checklists Standard Diagrams

18 OTHER BEST PRACTICES TO SUPPORT SOLAR Adopt a permit checklist for solar installations Establish reasonable building permit fees Provide solar permit information online Train permit staff in solar applications Implement online or e-permitting system Coordinate with utility Educate and celebrate

19 BELLEVUE S ACTIONS Adopted an expedited permit process, waiving permits for certain standard systems through ordinance adoption Offer online permitting through MyBuildingPermit.com Created city webpage dedicated to rooftop solar permitting ( ) Trained and knowledgeable review and inspection staff Goal: Assist citizens interested in solar and cutting their carbon footprint through a permitting process that is predictable, efficient and understandable to the people who use it.

20 TESTING THE SYSTEM WITH SOLARIZE

21 SOLARIZE BELLEVUE SUCCESS 6 workshops, 300+ participants Initial goal of 25 new installations & 100 kw 40 systems now under contract kw 14 systems now installed (77 kw) 4.6 year payback quoted by contractor

22 INSTALLER FEEDBACK Things were extremely easy after being vetted for the first couple of jobs. we go in with about 3-4 permit packages at a time and pull them all over-the-counter, paying for them by check while there I also like the fact that each permit is $312 for a residential PV system and not based on some sliding scale. [the single-line layout template should accommodate] micro - inverter systems and AC modules systems, for example, that Bellevue hasn t started using yet. All in all, I think working with CoB is extremely easy and, though there are improvements that could be made, you re head and shoulders above the rest of the jurisdictions we work with.

23 NEW SOLAR AROUND BELLEVUE

24 SOLARIZE BELLEVUE COMMUNITY AWARD

25 SOLARIZE BELLEVUE COMMUNITY Made in Washington! AWARD Fast Facts: 13 X Itek 270-watt modules, made in Bellingham 1 X Itek Theia 2.9kW microinverters, made in Bellingham Custom racking system by Sunmodo, engineered in Vancouver, WA 3.51 kwdc

26 QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK

27 THANK YOU! Feel free to contact us directly for more information: Mia Devine Gary Nordeen Paul Andersson Patti Miller-Crowley