In case you missed it: Six big solar stories in the news this week
pv magazine USA spotlights news of the past week including market trends, project updates, policy changes and more.
Texas Senate passes bill to expedite permits for home solar, battery systems
The bill aims to curb unnecessary permitting delays and fast-track residential solar panel and energy storage installations.
Colorado’s push for a faster path to rooftop solar gains momentum
A bill for automated permits is gaining momentum in a state with some of the longest permitting timelines in the country.
OpenSolar now integrates SolarAPP+ to speed solar permitting
SolarAPP+, OpenSolar reports that the likelihood of projects passing inspection increases nearly 30% over traditionally permitted projects.
Permitting processes place Minnesota’s rooftop solar in jeopardy
Permitting and other “soft costs” account for over the half expense of residential solar projects, making rooftop solar less accessible for many Minnesotans, a new report finds.
Federal pause to solar permitting and wetland approvals
Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Secretary of the Interior, which oversees the Bureau of Land Management, have halted approvals for wind and solar projects on federal land and in federally regulated areas.
$11 million funding opportunity for solar that benefits wildlife and agriculture
The Energy Department’s Solar with Wildlife and Ecosystem Benefits program will fund R&D, technical work and stakeholder engagement activities that promote compatibility of solar with the natural environment.
A Virginia proposal would give the state a role in siting solar and storage over 20 MW
A draft recommendation calls for creating a Virginia advisory board that would regularize permitting of large solar and storage projects, to help guide the state toward meeting its clean energy goals.
Senate committee approves bill to improve permitting of energy projects
The bipartisan legislation is designed to speed up permitting by setting deadlines and doubling production targets for renewable energy permitting on federal lands while not compromising environmental review or community needs.
With acquisition of Lyra, Aurora adds automated permitting to its toolbox
Lyra provides permit packaging software that automates permit-ready solar designs.
