Connecticut Rooftop Solar PV Permitting Guide

The goal of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is to achieve significant cost reductions for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that will enable solar electricity to be cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies in the United States by 2020. The SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge contributes to the SunShot goal by providing resources and building networks to streamline processes, improve standards, reduce soft costs and remove market barriers associated with permitting, planning and zoning and interconnection of rooftop solar PV to the grid, as well as addressing affordability by increasing access to financing. The Connecticut team led a project that analyzed solar PV soft costs in the state under the SunShot Initiative’s Rooftop Solar Challenge I program. Since then Connecticut has partnered with four other New England states, under the leadership of the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) to continue its soft-cost reduction efforts under the SunShot Initiative Rooftop Solar Challenge II. This second round of funding gives Connecticut further opportunity to refine, pilot and implement tools and recommendations developed in the first round, in collaboration with other New England states. The Connecticut team has compiled results and recommendations from the Rooftop Solar Challenge project into a Round I Final Project Report and the Connecticut Rooftop Solar PV Permitting Guide Version 1.0 , provided below for download under “Project Deliverables.” For more information and/or to join CT’s efforts to make rooftop solar PV installation easier, faster and cheaper, contact sunshot@ctcleanenergy.com.