Georgia solar boom: Atlanta eases solar permitting process

This is Atlanta.

Solar installation soft costs are real drivers of project economics, so the more streamlined permitting process become, the better outcome for prospective solar customers. Down in Georgia, Don Moreland, chair of the Georgia Solar Energy Association (GA Solar), says the City of Atlanta is doing its part by adopting a new, streamlined solar permitting process.

Moreland worked closely with the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and members of the Georgia Solar Energy Industries Association (GA SEIA) to develop the process, which will make solar installation easier for city property owners. This process offers a template that other cities and counties can use to expedite their own solar installation in communities statewide.

“On behalf of the GA Solar Board of Directors, I congratulate Mayor Kasim Reed and his expert staff in the Office of Sustainability for their leadership with policies that encourage and facilitate solar adoption,” Moreland said. “We hope that other Georgia cities and counties will see the economic and environmental benefits this brings and create their own permitting process.”

Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, director of the Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, said the new solar permitting process is an important part of Mayor Reed’s goal to make Atlanta the most sustainable city in the U.S.

“As solar installation becomes more prevalent and more attractive to property owners, the City of Atlanta wants to be sure we’re doing our part to make the permitting process as streamlined and efficient as possible, without sacrificing best standards and practices,” Benfield said. “The rise of solar in Atlanta leads to a brighter and cleaner today, tomorrow and beyond.”

Here are the details of Atlanta’s new solar permitting process.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/atlanta-eases-solar-permitting-process/]