In October 2013 DVRPC became a partner, as part of a national team of regional planning organizations, on Solar Ready II, a project of the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative's Rooftop Solar Challenge. The U.S. DOE launched the Rooftop Solar Challenge with the understanding that, with conventional energy prices fluctuating and the hardware costs of solar photovoltaic systems steadily declining, there is tremendous potential for solar PV to play an important role in the future of energy generation across the county. A key but not insurmountable challenge is the persistence of solar PV "soft costs", which include everything but the solar PV equipment itself. These soft costs—such as customer acquisition, permitting, inspection, installation, and connection to the electric grid—can account for up to 60 percent of the total installed cost of a rooftop PV system.
Through Solar Ready II, DVRPC worked collaboratively with municipalities, business, residents, and utilities in Greater Philadelphia to develop best management practices that help reduce the "soft costs" of solar PV installations. The goal of Solar Ready II was to create more streamlined and standardized solar practices throughout the Greater Philadelphia region, and to achieve measurable improvements in the region's solar market conditions. The resources, training materials, and meeting minutes provided below were developed as part of Solar Ready II.
Solar Ready II Resources
- Solar Ready Training Materials: The Solar Ready Training Materials are available to those who wish to further the understanding of solar photovoltaics (PV) in their communities. Training materials are provided for a variety of topic areas (e.g. Solar 101, Zoning, Historic Preservation).
Solar Ready II Webinar on Permitting and Zoning Best Practices for Solar PV
Thursday, February 11th, 2016 webinar
DVRPC and the Delaware County Planning Department held a webinar on Solar PV best practices for permitting and zoning.
- Click here for the Webinar presentation [2.5 MB pdf].
- Click here to learn more about how the Solar Market is Changing [0.1 MB pdf].
Solar Ready II Permitting and Zoning Best Practices Training
Thursday, March 19th, 2015
This training covered the benefits of implementing standardized and streamlined permitting and zoning practices, and ways to incorporate these best practices into existing municipal regulations.
- Presentation: Permitting Best Practices - Introduction [0.7 MB pdf] (Includes an overview of Solar Ready II, and an introduction to the Permitting and Zoning resources available through the program.
- Presentation: Permitting and Inspection Best Practices [6.9 MB pdf] (Includes an overview of national solar market trends, permitting best practices, and a review of DVRPC's draft permitting guide materials.
- Presentation: Zoning and Planning Best Practices [4.5 MB pdf] (Includes an overview of solar technology, the local government visioning and goal setting process, best practices for zoning for solar, DVRPC's draft solar Renewable Energy Ordinance Framework, considerations of solar in the municipal planning and regulatory process.
Past Solar Ready II Stakeholder Meetings
Third Stakeholder Meeting, October 8, 2014, DVRPC
- Presentation: Solar Ready II Stakeholder Meeting [2.1 MB pdf] (Includes an overview of the best management practices targeted through this program, including Permitting, Zoning, and Training Materials.
Second Solar Ready II Stakeholder Meeting, June 18, 2014, DVRPC
- Presentation: Solar Ready II Stakeholder Meeting [3.6 MB pdf] (Includes an overview of Solar Ready II, a summary of installer and municipal survey responses, a discussion of potential Best Management Practices for the Greater Philadelphia region, and a description of next steps for the project.)
Initial Stakeholder Kickoff Meeting, March 4, 2014, DVRPC
- Presentation: Solar Ready II Introductory Stakeholder Meeting [1.8 MB pdf] (Includes an introduction to Solar Ready II, an overview of solar market conditions and existing best management practices, and an initial identification of project objectives and outcomes.)