Saturday, March 09, 2013

Solar Freedom Now Release Roadmap to Reduce Rooftop Solar Costs By 50%


 Solar Freedom Now (SFN), a grass roots initiative to make solar power more affordable and accessible for all Americans, releases its White Paper: “A Roadmap for Reducing Rooftop Solar Costs by 50%,” and also introduces its Advisory Board of solar industry veterans. Solar Freedom Now’s goal is to make 2013 the year of eliminating the paperwork and red tape that burdens solar installations.

A Roadmap for Reducing Rooftop Solar Costs by 50%

Solar panel prices have plummeted over the past five years. But homeowners in the U.S. still pay about twice as much for rooftop solar as homeowners in Germany. Research indicates that this large price difference is due to the high “soft costs” in the U.S. – local permitting, complicated incentive documentation, exhaustive interconnection requirements, multiple inspections and all the extra time this red tape requires.

“In order to lower the price of a solar system, it’s easier to find a way to cut red tape by 20% than to find another 20% in incentives or reduced equipment costs” says Ron Kenedi, co-founder of SFN. “Eliminating the paperwork and red tape is the industry’s biggest cost saving opportunity.”

Numerous efforts have been made to reduce and simplify this paperwork. But like a nationwide game of mutant “whack a mole” – regulations and requirements are expanding. With 18,443 cities, 3,273 utilities and 50 states – all of which have some jurisdiction over rooftop solar systems – localized efforts to simplify solar installation paperwork are not scalable across the country. This paperwork is a brick wall impeding the solar industry’s cost reduction goals.

Solar Freedom Now is committed to reducing these soft costs on a nation-wide basis. It is a policy problem, one that new solar technologies, better software or less expensive solar panels cannot solve. We recommend the implementation of a single national policy that would grant homeowners the right to install a standardized, under 10kw system, using UL listed components, following National Electrical Code standards, installed by a qualified contractor and subject to a single local inspection.

“Who wouldn’t want to generate electricity on the roof of their own house? But the costs are kept artificially high because of all the ridiculous paperwork and red tape,” said Barry Cinnamon, co-founder of SFN. “Cutting this red tape is a message that appeals to both sides of the political aisle, and will help the solar industry grow even faster without the need for additional incentives.”

Solar Freedom Now Board of Advisors

The new group is made up of the following veteran solar executives: Jesse Pichel, CEO and Founder of Pichel Cleantech Advisors; Paula Mints, Founder/Chief Market Research Analyst at Paula Mints Solar PV Market Research; Tom McCalmont, CEO of McCalmont Engineering; Ron Kenedi, President/CEO Ron Kenedi Consulting; and Barry Cinnamon, Founder Cinnamon Solar Technology.

Solar Freedom Now’s first goal is to communicate the message of reducing “soft costs” to the approximately 110,000 working professionals in the solar industry, as well as millions of solar power supporters across the US.

Join Solar Freedom Now to reduce solar installation costs and move our industry in the right direction in 2013.

For more information about Solar Freedom Now:
www.solarfreedomnow.org
FaceBook: Solar Freedom Now
LinkedIn Group: Solar Freedom Now

CONTACTS:
Ron Kenedi, 714-222-3236, ronkenedi at hotmail.com
Barry Cinnamon, 408-406-0058, bcinnamon at gmail.com
info@solarfreedomnow.org

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