CleanEnergy Authority
By Chris Meehan
Thanks to Denver’s efforts to make it easier for residents to go solar, the Mile High City became the first city awarded Solar Friendly Community status, by the synonymous nonprofit. By speeding and lowering the costs for permitting of solar in Denver City and County, among other efforts, the city achieved recognition with the second-highest gold status for its efforts.
The Solar Friendly Communities initiative is one the 22 Rooftop Solar Challenge teams across the U.S. and was organized to reduce the soft costs of solar. It is a partnership of is the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA) and includes the cities of Denver, Fort Collins and Golden, Boulder County, the Rocky Mountain Institute and the American Solar Energy Society.
Under the program communities can earn up to 1,600 points through following the best practices. It has four designations Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Denver achieved gold by reaching 1,400 points under the voluntary program. “The city of Denver to their credit has been able to reduce permit fees from the state average of about $500 for a solar system on down to $50 for a solar permit. We have seen some communities take the time of permitting to be as high as 20 days to issue a permit and here in Denver they’re able to do it 15 minutes,” Lurie said.
