BILL NUMBER: S5781
SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to residential solar and
energy storage permitting
 
PURPOSE:
Provides building permits to residents immediately after submitting a
solar energy and storage system application.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: amends Subdivision 1 of Section 381 of the executive law to
implement a residential automated solar permitting platform which will
provide an expedited building permit for qualified residents. The New
York State Energy Research and Development Authority may also provide
support to qualified municipalities.
Section 2: states the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York's rigorous climate goals include a mandate of 70 percent of the
state's electricity to be generated by renewable energy by 2023 and 100
percent zero-emissions electricity by 2040. Specifically related to
solar, the Climate Act requires 6,000 MW of distributed solar by 2025.
To meet these requirements, the state must continue to enact policies
that support these goals.
Delays and long timelines in the permitting for residential solar and
storage systems present a significant impediment to meeting New York's
clean energy goals. Across the United States, 11 percent of solar
projects are canceled, and installers cite the permitting process and
associated delays as the top reason for cancellations. The National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a national laboratory of the U.S.
Department of Energy Office, has created and released SolarAPP+, which
is a free automated online portal that any jurisdiction can implement
locally to simplify the permitting process for residential solar and
storage system installations. By automating permitting with SolarAPP+,
homes receive permits as soon as the installer submits the application,
allowing solar to be installed that day. This bill will require the
implementation of this platform or other similar residential automated
solar permitting platforms by the year 2026.
By requiring certain municipalities to implement this software, local
permitting processes will be significantly expedited. This legislation
will make it faster, easier, and less expensive for local governments to
approve solar and storage systems. This will streamline the local
government approval process and will allow New Yorkers to install resi-
dential solar and storage systems much faster than ever before. This
bill is necessary to help New York meet its climate goals and will make
the transition to renewable energy easier and less expensive for every-
one.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.