More Rooftop Solar, Less Red Tape

Harnessing clean energy from renewable sources like the wind and sun allows us to live greener, healthier lives.  Rooftop solar is a critical strategy for meeting Illinois’ clean energy goals. 

Solar power is especially valuable when it is produced right where it’s needed, on the roofs of our homes and businesses. Locally generated rooftop solar power eases grid strain, increases grid resilience in extreme weather, helps transition the grid off of fossil fuels, and protects open spaces by minimizing the land needed to produce clean energy.

While America could produce 45% of the electricity we use with rooftop solar,  we are far from realizing that full potential. As of 2022, only 1.5% of our electricity comes from rooftop solar. Illinois prides itself as a leader on clean energy, yet despite a 2252% growth in residential solar from 2017 to 2022, Illinois had still only tapped about 2% of its rooftop solar potential in 2022. 

Why isn’t Illinois realizing its rooftop solar potential?

Far too often, red tape is getting in the way. Even for straightforward, small-scale solar projects, it can take days, weeks, or even months to get approval for installation. The processes vary by jurisdiction and can be complex and costly. The additional costs associated with the permitting process can push  rooftop solar outside of many homeowners’ budgets despite the falling costs of the installation itself. Needlessly complicated permitting processes can even push solar installers to leave a jurisdictions’ market entirely. 

Across the U.S., 11% of solar projects that apply for permits get canceled, and installers cite the delays associated with the permitting process as the top reason for cancellation. The “soft costs” of permitting are a significant contributor to solar prices in the U.S. that are roughly double those in France, Germany, Japan, and much of the rest of the world. Given our urgent need for more clean energy, we cannot afford to let bureaucratic inefficiencies slow the adoption of a common-sense solution like rooftop solar. 

Putting solar on our homes should be more like replacing an appliance than adding a new addition to your home. It should be as fast and simple as possible, without compromising quality or safety. That’s where instant permitting comes in.

What is instant permitting?

Instant permitting softwares such as the Department of Energy’s SolarAPP+, Symbium, or a home-grown software cut down on delay times for standard rooftop solar and home battery installations. For a typical installation, if the permit application is complete and meets all requirements, approval is immediate. 

One of the most popular softwares,  SolarAPP+, was developed by the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in conjunction with building and safety experts. The 230 jurisdictions across the country that have adopted the tool have been able to cut permit processing time to less than one hour, reduce the complexity of the process, and lower costs. Projects approved through SolarAPP+  also have  a lower likelihood of inspection failure compared to traditional methods.

Instant permitting adoption is low in Illinois– it’s time to change that. 

In April of this year, the Illinois Finance Authority announced that it would be launching a grant program to fund jurisdictions to adopt and get trained on SolarAPP+. It is expected to launch this fall with a plan to give $20,000 grants to 75 local governments.

But there is no need to wait for jurisdictions to opt-in one by one, and we will only see the maximum benefit of instant permitting if its adoption is widespread. According to SEIA, broad adoption of instant permitting could lower the cost of a standard solar system by an estimated $6,000-$7,000, and reduce cancellations. 

Given the many benefits of rooftop solar, and the value of seeing rooftop solar adoption accelerate in communities across the state, instant permitting should be the minimum standard that jurisdictions use statewide. 

Our national federation helped pass laws in California in 2022 and Maryland in 2024 that did just that. Illinois can be the next to take this critical step to fully harness rooftop solar’s potential and keep moving towards a clean energy future.

We are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to pass legislation this year to establish instant permitting as the minimum standard statewide for rooftop solar and home battery storage.

Take action now to support clean energy

To support the clean energy transition in Illinois, urge your state legislators to streamline rooftop solar permitting by taking action, below.

We have an opportunity to accelerate the clean energy transition here in Illinois,  remain a midwestern and national leader in solar energy, and to bring about a cleaner, healthier future powered by the sun.