City of San Jose, CA Solar Roadmap

Guidance: City at best practice.

Initial Status: Solar PV specific permit form is in use.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: Permit application form online, but user must create an account to access it.

Guidance: City currently at best practice for making the permit application available online at https://www.sjpermits.org/permits/ However, considering making the form available online in an easily accessible location in a PDF format that can be completed off-line.

Initial Status: Electronic submittal available.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- electronic submittal available at San Jose Online Permits site: https://www.sjpermits.org/permits/

Initial Status: 1 submittal required.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: Comprehensive process information is available online.

Initial Status: Comprehensive process information is available online.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- information regarding the solar permitting and inspection process available at https://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=1505

Initial Status: Within 3 business days residential, 5 days commercial.

Guidance: City currently at best practice for permit processing times. Consider an expedited or over-the-counter permit approval process for qualifying PV projects using a standard application form (see goal P1).

Guidance: Base residential permit fees on cost recovery, or if a flat fee is used keep the fee amount under $250.

Initial Status: Average residential permit fee is $310.

Guidance: City at best practice-- residential permit fees are in compliance with State law.

Guidance: Base commercial permit fees on cost recovery, or if a flat fee is used keep the fee amount under $500.

Initial Status: Commercial permit fee depends on the size of the system.

Guidance: Permit fee for commercial systems is based on cost recovery or a flat fee no more than $1,000 for systems <50 kW, plus $7 for every kW between 51 kW and 250 kW, plus $5 for every kW over 250 kW. Open-ended valuation based fee structures are inconsistent with State law.

Initial Status: Within two business days.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: Appointment window of two hours.

Guidance: City currently at best practice. Provide real time updates prior to arrival so contractor is aware and prepared.

Initial Status: Single comprehensive inspection.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: Inspection checklist available online.

Guidance: City at best practice-- see inspection checklist at https://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1760

Initial Status: Inspection checklist available online.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- see inspection checklist at https://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1760

Initial Status: Qualifying systems are exempt from building permits and structural review.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- building permits and review are not required for installations whose total panel weight (including frame) is less than 5 lbs. per square foot, with a maximum concentrated load at each point of support of less than 40 lbs., and whose maximum height above roof surface does not exceed 18 inches.

Initial Status: Qualifying systems are exempt from building permits and structural review.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- building permits and review are not required for installations whose total panel weight (including frame) is less than 5 lbs. per square foot, with a maximum concentrated load at each point of support of less than 40 lbs., and whose maximum height above roof surface does not exceed 18 inches.

Initial Status: Currently on 2010 CBC codes, some awareness of recent solar updates for 2013 code.

Initial Status: Awareness of recent solar updates in 2013 California Codes

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: State laws provide limited protection for solar rights and solar access, but no local ordinances

Initial Status: No local ordinance for solar rights and access

Guidance: Create local ordinances which would protect property owners' right to install solar and ensure their property has unobstructed access to direct sunlight.

Initial Status: Statewide solar ready requirements for new construction (CA Title 24), but no local laws

Guidance: Explore creation of municipal ordinances which require new homes and buildings to be built solar-ready.

Initial Status: No local ordinance for solar-ready construction standards.

Guidance: Explore creation of municipal ordinances which require all new homes and buildings to be built solar-ready, which go beyond California's "solar zones" mandate in the 2013 Energy Code (Section 110.10). Starting July 1, 2014, the building codes will require certain new construction to pre-wire for solar.

Guidance: Explore implementing solar mandates for new construction for all buildings or a segment of the new building stock

Initial Status: City of San Jose's Green Vision Plan promotes renewable energy development, including solar.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- see Goal 3 of the Green Vision Plan at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=2948

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: Solar friendly zoning ordinances in place.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: All structures are zoned to allow solar as a matter of right.

Guidance: City currently at best practice.

Initial Status: State law protects against restrictive covenants.

Guidance: Work with condo owner and homeowners associations to ensure that their covenant, conditions, and restrictions and bylaws do not create undue barriers to solar installations.

Guidance: Support efforts to ensure state-level utility regulations do not restrict these finance mechanisms.

Guidance: Support efforts to ensure state-level utility regulations allow community solar projects.

Guidance: Encourage efforts to set up a regional utility-sponsored Community Solar Program. If Community Solar is proven to be viable in the region, jurisdiction could assist in helping to recruit subscribers through existing networks.

Guidance: Support efforts to develop state-level legislation enabling local PACE programs.

Initial Status: PACE financing available through CaliforniaFIRST and the HERO program.

Guidance: City at best practice-- residential and commercial PACE financing available through two programs.

Initial Status: No known local solar loan program

Guidance: Encourage local financial institutions to establish loan programs for solar energy systems.

Initial Status: City promotes solar financing and evaluation information through the Silicon Valley Energy Map.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- see the City's solar evaluation tool, the Silicon Valley Energy Map, http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=1504

Initial Status: No such programs known to exist locally

Guidance: Support the creation of a working group of community leaders and funding providers. This group would evaluate options and determine the most viable approach for aggregating residential solar based on best practices to date.

Initial Status: No such programs known to exist locally

Guidance: Establish a working group of businesses and commercial property owners to leverage their solar purchasing power by aggregating facilities for solar evaluation and procurement to reduce energy costs while demonstrating community leadership.

Initial Status: No known solar at San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility.

Guidance: Establish a working group to identify solar feasibility at municipal landfill and water treatment sites.

Initial Status: No known solar development at local brownfield sites

Guidance: Establish a working group to identify brownfield sites and solar development options within the City, following the best practices and case studies provided. Share information with market stakeholders.

Initial Status: Limited awareness of these resources locally

Guidance: Provide online access to training programs and resources for the installer community and potential workforce and organize an outreach and/or training event in order to generate awareness and understanding.

Initial Status: City provides online resources, including the Silicon Valley Energy Map.

Guidance: City currently at best practice-- see the Silicon Valley Energy Map http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=1504

Initial Status: Limited awareness of these tools locally

Guidance: Help promote the availability of innovative market development tools for the residential, commercial, and municipal solar markets through existing networks

Initial Status: Not participating in any such programs currently

Guidance: Establish a working group to explore options for setting clean energy goals for the community, including setting renewable energy development goals in long term planning documents or joining programs designed to encourage, support, and provide recognition for clean energy action.