When things fall apart, experienced teams keep solar on track

Solar development’s outlook has become more complex in the U.S. as policies quickly shift, adding to existing risks around interconnection, permitting, weather and labor, The Berg Research Group says. The group offers guidance on managing these challenges.

September 9, 2025 John Fitzgerald Weaver

61st Civil Engineers Square begins construction on a solar installation in Los Angeles.

Image: Lou Hernandez

In “How Big Things Get Done” by Dan Gardner and Bent Flyvbjerg, solar power projects rank among the lowest for cost overruns of any major infrastructure sector. This reflects both steadily declining hardware costs and the fact that solar construction is relatively simple and highly repeatable.

Yet reality intrudes. Weather can halt work entirely. Policy shifts ripple through timelines. Supply chains break under tariffs or outright bans. Regulators, permitting boards, inspectors, and other “authorities having jurisdiction” (AHJs) can slow or reshape projects. Human error adds its own delays. Together, these factors weigh on project schedules and budgets.

The Berg Research Group (BRG) issued guidance to help utilities and contractors manage overruns and delays. As the industry scales and deploys record volumes of capacity each year, BRG warns it is on a “collision course” with shifting trade and domestic energy policies that threaten to push out timelines and increase costs.

BRG identified the main drivers of cost overruns and delays in solar projects:

Supply chain interruptions or complications
Permitting problems
Weather
Interconnection issues
Workforce shortages
Design modifications
Unexpected environmental regulations

The group highlights tariffs and regulations, such as detainments or outright bans, as clear disruptors. These pressures have been partially offset by emerging domestic supply chains, which reduce reliance on imports.

Interconnection challenges are well documented, with strategies to cut delays, even as zoning approvals are becoming more politicized, especially for higher-risk projects such as energy storage, which regulators often scrutinize more closely due to fire safety concerns.

Maria Bries, a partner at law firm Fox Swibel, told pv magazine USA that permitting remains a critical pressure point in her home market of Illinois, saying:

In particular, in Illinois, where we are labor constrained, I’m seeing longer permitting times for building and site development permits (due to a higher level of scrutiny by the AHJs [authorities having jurisdiction]) which impacts scheduling that is pre-set months in advance with contractors to ensure workers are available. As a result, projects are faced with increases in EPC costs and delays until a new construction crew can be deployed once the permit is in hand.

Beyond projects under construction, BRG pointed to the manufacturing sector, which faces similar challenges. For example, local residents challenged the zoning for Silfab’s planned solar cell factory in South Carolina, a state generally seen as friendly to manufacturing.

In response, BRG laid out several recommendations for contractors to reduce risk. The group’s first recommendation is to build the right team: engineers, designers, insurers, procurement specialists and experienced subcontractors. From there, BRG advised working with local stakeholders such as site owners, zoning boards and neighbors. The group also recommended sourcing equipment from reliable suppliers with firm delivery dates to establish realistic timelines.

During construction, BRG recommended maintaining open communication across contracts so that small issues are flagged before they snowball. This helps teams deploy contingency plans when the unexpected occurs.

Clear communication with landowners and designers also improves scheduling by making sure permitting requirements, underground waterway equipment, and stormwater- or erosion-control measures are addressed in advance. Without such communication, relations with inspectors and towns can quickly sour, slowing the process.

As schedules firm up, contractors should connect early with utilities. One contractor told pv magazine USA their local utility warned that projects missing key steps by mid-October would be pushed into 2026, as crews were already booked by other solar projects racing to meet year-end deadlines.

BRG also stressed quality control, recommending that teams track deviations from standard work early, and transparently monitor weather and site delays to minimize disputes and commissioning checklists. Consistently applying lessons learned from past projects reinforces BRG’s first rule: hire experienced teams that have been through these challenges before.

Despite these obstacles, demand remains strong. Solar — and the broader clean energy sector — continues to see a robust demand profile driving construction needs across the U.S., keeping project pipelines full for years to come despite current complexities.

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