Streamlined Permitting Process for Clean Energy Projects

Here's some good clean energy news: Last month, Florida passed a bill that will make it easier and cheaper to install rooftop solar. Up until recently, Florida homeowners had to wait 3-4 weeks to get a permit to put solar panels on their roof. Those delays added thousands of dollars in soft costs. HB 683, signed into law last month, aims to fix that. Local building officials now have five business days to approve rooftop-solar and battery-storage permit applications. If they miss the deadline, the permit is automatically approved and must be issued the next day. The bill also cuts down on the paperwork that cities can request and enables homeowners to use private inspections instead of waiting for backlogged city inspectors. EnergySage estimates that this law could save homeowners thousands. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, rooftop solar currently costs about 2-3x more in the US than other countries like Australia. Slow permitting is one of the top reasons for the higher costs. Now that the federal government is phasing out solar incentives, it's up to cities and states to lead the way. They'd be wise to follow Florida and streamline the permitting process.

Jigar Shah dropped banger insights of the most important levers for climate of 2025. Context : Shah previously ran the Department of Energy's $40 billion loan program. He funded more clean energy than almost anyone alive. We know that the tech isn't the problem anymore, but here are 10 real climate levers he talks about: • Optimizing for speed of permitting and federal approvals: Clean energy projects take 3-7 years just for permits. Wind farms wait 4 years for grid studies. China builds solar farms in 6 months. When permits take years but markets shift in months, projects die waiting. • Access to patient capital for deployment at scale: VCs want 10x returns in 5 years. Clean energy needs 20-year paybacks. Most institutional investors won't touch manufacturing. Brilliant technologies die between prototype and commercialization. • Training workers for clean energy manufacturing jobs: We need 1.5 million new workers by 2030. Trade schools aren't teaching battery assembly or heat pump installation. Projects can't find qualified workers even in high-unemployment areas. • Building domestic supply chains that actually scale: We import 80% of solar panels and 95% of battery minerals. Every supply disruption kills American projects. True energy independence requires mining, refining, and manufacturing here. • Getting communities to say yes through job creation: Local opposition kills more projects than technical failures. When projects include local hiring and profit-sharing, approval rates jump from 30% to 80%. • Cold-calling companies to drive deal flow: Most programs wait for applications. Shah's team hunted down companies and called CEOs directly. This aggressive outreach tripled application volume. • Political engagement including lobbying efforts: Clean energy companies spend 10x less on lobbying than fossil fuel companies. Policy shapes markets. Markets shape deployment speed. • Recruiting experienced leaders: Most program managers are career employees who've never deployed capital at scale. Success depends on having people who understand commercial finance. • Focusing on profitable products like plastics and chemicals: Everyone focuses on electricity. The biggest money is in industrial chemicals. Sustainable aviation fuel sells for $8 per gallon. Thick margins make scaling easier. • Learning from China's portfolio approach: America tries to pick winners. China funds 50 battery companies knowing 40 will fail but 10 will dominate globally. Better to fund 10 projects where 3 succeed massively. We've cracked the innovation code. Solar is cheaper than coal. But we're terrible at the boring stuff - the paperwork, the financing and the human side. The next decade won't be won by the best technology. It'll be won by whoever can build fastest. What's the biggest bottleneck you see in getting clean energy projects actually built? Shout out to 9Zero for bringing in the OG. Matthew Joehnk Daphné Halley Duncan Logan Laura Kirkland

Chile Enacts Groundbreaking Sectoral Permitting Reform to Accelerate Investment and Boost Legal Certainty On July 1, 2025, Chile’s legislature approved a long-awaited reform aimed at modernizing the country’s fragmented and time-consuming sectoral permitting system. Informally dubbed the “permisología” law, the new framework targets over 380 permits across 37 government agencies and 16 ministries, aiming to reduce approval times by 30% to 70%—all while maintaining Chile’s environmental and regulatory standards. The law introduces a principle of proportionality, meaning that permitting requirements must align with the level of risk posed by a given project. Lower-risk initiatives can now move forward using simplified mechanisms such as sworn declarations or notifications, rather than requiring formal administrative resolutions. In a key move for efficiency, the legislation also incorporates the principle of positive administrative silence: if a competent authority fails to respond within the legally established timeframe, the permit is automatically considered granted. This structural shift was supported across the political spectrum, especially by those seeking to promote economic growth and job creation. While some sectors expressed concerns about potential impacts on environmental protections, the executive branch clarified that the country’s core environmental review system remains fully intact and beyond the scope of this law. From an institutional perspective, the reform aims to bring clarity, transparency, and digital modernization to the administrative state. It sets out a standardized framework for how public agencies must evaluate, process, and respond to project applications, with a strong emphasis on legal certainty and timely resolution. For stakeholders in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors, this reform may prove transformative. Rather than loosening Chile’s regulatory standards, the law streamlines how those standards are applied—enabling responsible development to move faster. As the global competition for critical minerals and clean energy projects intensifies, Chile is positioning itself as a country that respects the rule of law while ensuring that bureaucracy no longer undermines progress.

Texas Just Took a Big Step Toward Cheaper, Faster, Cleaner Energy SB 1202 just passed the Texas Senate, unanimously 31-0, which is rare and awesome. This new bill streamlines permitting for home solar and battery systems by allowing qualified third parties (like licensed engineers) to review and inspect projects. In plain terms this means less red tape, lower costs, faster installs. And we need it as soft costs limit deployments, Solar Energy Industries Association estimates place soft cost as high as 64% of total project costs - origination, consulting, design, permitting, procurement, contracts and general administrative drag. In Texas, the average all-in cost to install residential solar is $2.60-$3.30 per watt. In Australia, where there is an emphasis on cutting red tape, it’s around $1.00 per watt. Driving down the cost of installs close to a $1/watt will make so many projects more attractive and viable. SB 1202 tackles some of these soft costs directly by cutting out permitting delays and empowering professionals to keep things moving. Why This Matters for Texans: ⚡ Faster installations — Critical in a state with grid capacity constraints, instability and extreme weather 💰 Lower system costs — Easier permitting means less overhead for installers and lower prices for homeowners 📈 More adoption — Removing barriers = more Texans going solar 🛠 More jobs — Installation, inspection, service 🌍 Lower emissions — More clean energy on the grid, faster This could set a precedent and while the bill focuses on residential projects, its language leaves room for broader application, including #commercial and #industrial systems. Texas has always been an energy leader and it is important that it continues to lead the charge and model how we can reduce soft costs across the country. States are realizing that by limiting energy projects, they are limiting growth and opportunity, while creating a burden for businesses and homeowners through increased rates and outages. At VECKTA we welcome updates like this as our mission is to drive soft costs out of project to enable the deployment of more profitable and sustainable projects at scale. #SB1202 #TexasEnergy #SolarPower #Resilience #CleanEnergy #PoweringProfits #PolicyThatWorks The Freeing Energy Project

On September 15th, Governor Katie Hobbs signed Executive Order 2025-13, a decisive move to cut red tape, accelerate clean energy projects, and put affordability and innovation at the center of Arizona’s energy future. This step is more than a state-level policy—it’s a signal to the nation and the world. While federal support has pulled back, Arizona is stepping forward to unleash its vast solar potential, lower energy costs for families, and give businesses the certainty they need to invest in clean infrastructure. For the solar industry, this means opportunity on multiple fronts: ✅ Faster Project Deployment – Streamlined permitting and land-use approvals reduce costly delays. ✅ Economic Growth – Expansion of renewable energy creates jobs, builds local supply chains, and supports innovation hubs. ✅ Energy Sovereignty – Support for Tribal nations ensures inclusive growth and community-led energy solutions. ✅ Resiliency & Affordability – As demand grows (projected 40% increase in peak demand in 15 years), renewable energy will anchor a stable, cost-effective grid. At We Recycle Solar, we see how policies like this ripple outward. By enabling more renewable projects to break ground, we’re not just accelerating the clean energy transition—we’re also elevating the importance of responsible end-of-life management for solar technology. The more we deploy, the more essential it becomes to plan for recycling, repurposing, and value recovery from solar assets. This is how Arizona—and the solar industry at large—can lead the world: not only by building the clean energy future, but by ensuring it’s sustainable, circular, and equitable for generations to come. The Arizona Promise is a reminder: progress doesn’t wait for Washington. States, businesses, and communities are charting the course forward. What do you think—will we see more states take bold steps like Arizona in the coming months? Solar Power World #RenewableEnergy #Solar #CircularEconomy #EnergyPolicy #ArizonaPromise #Sustainability

Let's continue to unpack the Grids Package !    Today, I want to talk about permitting and what we have proposed to speed things up.    Slow permitting remains one of the most significant barriers to timely deployment of energy infrastructure and generation in the EU. To give you an example, the average implementation time of a transmission grid project is more than 10 years now, of which more than half is devoted to permitting. That is way too long. This is why we are fundamentally changing things.  To accelerate permitting so that grids get rolled out faster, we proposed: ⏰time limits to reduce the time needed for projects to obtain their permits. Permitting processes shouldn't last more than two years in general cases, with a maximum of three years for the most complex projects. For charging stations for electric vehicles, no more than 6 months!  🟩exemptions from assessments for some types of structures with negligible impact on environment: for example, if you want to put some small solar installations on your roof.  ✔️screening systems: instead of a full assessment, for distribution grids or Projects of Common Interest, you have first a short screening. If the screening shows no issue, you just move ahead with the project and gain precious time, otherwise you will have to do a full impact assessment.  We also simplify procedures to limit administrative burden and costs for projects through: 💻Digitalisation of permitting procedures  🏢One-stop-shops so that project promoters have a single interlocutor instead of many for their permit requests 👥Requirements on Member States to correctly equip the administrations that treat the permit requests, to make sure they are delivered on time and are legally robust! Finally, we provide much-needed certainty to projects: 🔵 We don't want projects to stay in limbo for years! With tacit approval we allow projects to move forward if permitting authorities do not reply by the established deadlines.  🔵 Thanks to the rebuttable presumption of Overriding Public Interest, renewable and grids energy projects will benefit from a more favourable treatment due to their contribution to the environment and the economy.    The Grids Package gives us a chance to unleash the full potential of our Energy Union. Let's seize it! Stay tuned for more deep-dives in the coming weeks. #GridsPackage #EUGrids #EnergyInfrastructure #EnergyPrices #Independence

The shot clock on permitting, which Strong Towns describes for housing here, is not only effective as a state mandate for localities. It's also a template for other sectors and other levels, particularly a federal directive to states on energy infrastructure permitting. Charles Marohn: "In Minnesota, where I live, we have a rule that does exactly that. It’s often called the “60-day rule.” It doesn’t tell cities what has to be built or where. It merely sets an expectation for how cities are expected to operate. If someone makes an application, the city has ten days to review the application and tell them, in writing, if anything is missing. The city makes the rules. Applicants make their best effort. The city documents and communicates where they have fallen short. The goalposts don’t change. That’s how you get clarity at the start. Once the application is complete, the clock starts. The city now has sixty days to make a decision. There is some flexibility. The city can ask for additional time, but it has to explain why. And that has to be done in writing. And that extension is limited. If the city fails to act within the required timeframe, or fails to meet one of these required steps for documentation, the application is automatically approved. I’ve seen this happen numerous times, and courts uphold it. Automatic approval." https://lnkd.in/ecgWUYbg

New California Assembly Bill seeks to streamline the approval process for geothermal energy projects. https://lnkd.in/djCVEgDS A new bill authored by Assemblymember Diane Papan seeks to streamline the development of geothermal energy projects in the state of California by changing outdated provisions related to project approval. Assembly Bill (AB) 1359 has just been approved by the State Legislature and is now headed to the Governor’s desk for signature. Under current law, the drilling of exploratory wells for geothermal projects is treated as a separate project under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), with the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) designated as the lead agency. However, due to CalGEM’s resource constraints and backlog, geothermal exploration projects have faced multi-year delays, stalling the development of advanced geothermal power across the state. AB 1359 addresses this issue by allowing applicants for projects to request that a county in which a project is located act as the lead agency for CEQA review in lieu of CalGEM. By allowing counties to assume this role, this aligns geothermal exploration with the CEQA process for other renewable energy projects. This change will enable geothermal developers to proceed more efficiently, facilitating the exploration and development of geothermal resources. The new Assembly Bill is the latest in a growing list of policies that aim to help facilitate the faster development of geothermal energy projects in the United States. The streamlining of approval processes is a particularly important issue that is being addressed with recent proposals, such as a bipartisan bill that seeks to apply a categorical exclusion for geothermal exploration projects.

Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) streamlined the transmission permitting process in order to help meet the state's clean energy goals. This decisions adopted a new General Order (GO) 131-E, which sets forth rules for permitting, approving, and building utility-scale transmission projects, including lines, substations and generation facilities. One of the changes is the new requirement of a pre-filing consultation. Transmission project applicants will have to meet with CPUC staff at least 6 months prior to submitting an application to help the review run smoothly. The GO also allows applicants to submit their own draft versions of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) documents with their transmission applications. Another change is the removal of redundancy by deferring the determination of need if the CAISO transmission planning process (TPP) has already determined that a project is needed. I am happy that the CPUC is taking the necessary steps to realize the goals of California Senate Bill (SB) 100, which requires that all the state's electricity is to come from renewable energy and zero-carbon resources by 2045. Sources: https://lnkd.in/geufNkRN https://lnkd.in/gSi8NfK4 #energytransition #california #CPUC #permitting #streamline #CAISO #transmission #planning #transmissionplanning #engineering #solarpower #windpower #energystorage #BESS

Step 1 to bring rooftop solar to more households: Cut red tape. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger approved legislation Monday to do just that, clearing the way for a statewide automated permitting platform to help streamline the process for residential solar projects, among other important interventions. In Maryland, where getting a permit for solar costs $100 in some places, and $900 in others, new legislation signed by Gov. Wes Moore this week will automate permitting, streamline inspections and standardize fees. (Links in comments) Soft costs — basically, everything that’s not equipment — make up about two-thirds of total project costs for solar installations. And those costs are 3-4 times higher in the US than in other comparable countries. That’s why it might cost $28,000 to put solar on your roof here in the US, for a similar setup that would only cost $4,000 in Australia. States like Virginia, Maryland, California, Texas, New Jersey, Minnesota and Florida are showing we don’t have to take our cues from another country. We have all the policy tools we need right here to cap fees, make rules more consistent and automate permitting. Cutting red tape is a bipartisan winning strategy. It doesn’t cost anything to implement. And it brings huge benefits to getting more households access to rooftop solar and battery storage, and all the benefits to the grid and monthly energy bills that follow.