The energy outages that affected 325,000 folks in southeast Texas and 650,000 in North Texas on the finish of May are one more reminder, if we wanted one, that main modifications to our grid are urgently wanted. . Recently, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas stated that this summer season will convey a 16% probability of {an electrical} grid emergency and a 12% probability of rolling blackouts.
After the February 2021 winter storm, we noticed an explosion in photo voltaic and battery installations, and we are going to probably see a further explosion after the brand new storms. Homes and companies throughout the state are realizing that with photo voltaic they will decrease their electrical energy payments and enhance the reliability of their energy provide. According to a current report by Environment Texas, Texas ranks third within the nation for rooftop photo voltaic, rising greater than 646% from 2017 to 2022.
Even town of Dallas is getting in on it, with plans to put in 739,000 kilowatts of photo voltaic capability by 2030 and three,695,000 by 2050. And because of state and federal incentives – together with tens of billions of {dollars} to get from the Inflation Reduction Act – it is extra inexpensive than ever to make the change to photo voltaic.
But the momentum behind rooftop photo voltaic is vulnerable to being mired in native authorities purple tape. Once households or companies make the choice to go photo voltaic, they usually should navigate a sluggish and costly allowing course of. Each software to put in rooftop photo voltaic have to be authorized by a metropolis worker, who might should manually work via 100 compliance checks and acquire approval from the structural, electrical, fireplace, planning and zoning departments.
According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s SolarTRACE database, in 2022 it took a median of twenty-two days to get a residential rooftop photo voltaic allow from town of Dallas, whereas Fort Worth took 4 days and the typical Frisco allow authorized inside 24 hours.
We spoke with native photo voltaic installers from Texas Best Solar, Hoss Solar and Solar Cowboys, who stated current functions in Dallas have taken between two weeks and, in a single case, 52 days. A significant metropolis like ours can do higher.
In order for Dallas to fulfill the photo voltaic objectives of the Climate Action Plan, we want a allowing course of that may scale to fulfill the rising variety of functions in a well timed and environment friendly method, with out compromising security. and different mandatory checks. Fortunately, there’s a tried and examined app for that. SolarAPP+, developed by the US Department of Energy, is a free web-based portal that automates allowing in a fast, dependable course of.
Hundreds of cities are efficiently utilizing SolarAPP+ to shortly and seamlessly enable residents to put in dependable rooftop photo voltaic vitality and the decrease payments that include it. Houston and San Antonio are already piloting the service. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that in areas the place it’s used, SolarAPP+ has saved about 15,400 hours of native authorities employees time by 2023, and has accelerated the allowing course of by a median of 14.5 days.
Last December, Dallas’ Environmental Commission voted unanimously to suggest that town’s allowing division undertake SolarAPP+.
With town’s daring local weather objectives, the continued combat in opposition to air air pollution, and the general public clamoring for clear vitality, the following step is obvious: We want extra photo voltaic and fewer purple tape.
In the approaching years, the vast majority of Dallas properties and companies will have the ability to generate their very own dependable, clear, inexpensive vitality, instantly from their rooftops. They can escape from dependence on utility corporations and polluting energy crops positioned miles away. But to construct the clear, dependable electrical energy grid of the longer term, we have to act shortly to vary our allowing course of.
Patrice “Pete” Parsons is the chief director of the Texas Solar Energy Society. Ian Seamans is the Dallas City Hall advocate for Environment Texas.
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