Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Utilities Taking Longer on Rooftop Solar Applications (Politico, Morning Energy)

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- A utility and solar interest group-funded survey of installers finds U.S. utilities are taking longer to process rooftop solar interconnection requests.

While some utilities, such larger ones in California, process applications in a little as one day, many utilities in 2015 took an average of 67 days to process requests, up from 46 days in 2014, said the report by EQ Research.

The report suggested lawmakers and regulators can help utilities improve those timelines by requiring them to create online application and fee payment processes, and by setting reasonable processing deadlines with reporting requirements to track performance.