San Diego raises cost for home solar installations

San Diego residents have to dig deeper into their pocketbooks if they want to install solar panels on their homes. Homeowners are required to get an installation plan approved and their solar system inspected by city officials.

The permit cost was raised sixfold to $565 from $93. City officials told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the City Council changed its policy of subsidizing solar installations.

The $565 fee stems from recommendations of a study into what the City Council should charge to ensure that the permit fee covers the city’s cost of issuing solar permits and inspecting home installations. The city commissioned that study for $80,000. San Diego city officials plan to review permit fees annually, the newspaper reported on Jan. 11.

The Sierra Club surveyed the cost of home solar permits across California, and Los Angeles-area cities had the highest fees at $1,500.

I have a sixth-sense that solar advocates and the solar industry will push for lower fees.

Mayors making energy news

As an Oil & Gas Journal writer, I generally don’t report on city politics. However, this week, a couple of mayors deserve mention when it comes to energy-related news—Houston for taking on air emissions and San Diego for its renewable financing initiatives.

Houston Mayor Bill White received a favorable response from the US Environmental Protection Agency regarding his request for EPA to revamp the system that is used to calculate air emissions from petrochemical plants and refineries.

In July 2008, White filed a formal Request for Correction under the EPA’s Information Quality Guidelines. White long has questioned the level of toxic pollutants in Houston’s air, particularly benzene emissions. The EPA recently agreed to develop a comprehensive protocol from emission inventions.

In San Diego, Mayor Jerry Sanders is working to make solar panels more affordable for residents. The San Diego Clean Generation Program was announced in December and becomes effective July 1.

The city of San Diego pays the up-front installation costs for solar panels, and then homeowners and business repay the city over 20 years.

Sanders emphasizes the financing is tied to the property rather than an individual. Residents who install solar panels only pay for it while they own the property. Once they sell the house having these solar panels, the remaining cost passes onto the new owner.

While the general public might not understand most operating logistics of the oil and gas industry, people tend to notice efforts by their local politicians toward achieving cleaner air and providing green-financing initiatives.