Shine light on solar permit fees

More power to the Sierra Club for pointing out the obscene "fees" for solar permits. My Torrance solar cost about $1,000. It would would be interesting to see what other taxes the city would come up with if everybody had enough solar output to cancel out the utility tax. Torrance utility tax is 6 1/2% of the KWH used from Edison.

Thanks for the shining the light on the cities with excessively high solar permit fees and commending the ones with reasonable ones!

I'd like to point out that the Sierra Club report recommends permit fees of $324 or less (not $234 as mentioned in this article). This is based on 1 to 2 hours for permit approval (processing permit submittal paperwork) and 1 to 2 hours of inspection time).

Here is a link to the Sierra Club, Angeles chapter web site to view the full report on this issue. This report has details of what cities are charging and how long they take to issue solar permits, as well as specific recommendations that document best practices:

http://angeles.sierraclub.org/energy/pvfeerep...

Wake up guys, this is payback for the rejection of propositions 1A to 1E. Our govt is not for the people, they will take whatever they can at a time when we are most vulnerable.

CashCow wrote:

Wake up guys, this is payback for the rejection of propositions 1A to 1E. Our govt is not for the people, they will take whatever they can at a time when we are most vulnerable.

You are correct. The Demo lawmakers of Calif. have shown a blantant disrespect toward the voters.
Throw the bums out.

Now that this was brought up, cities looking for revenue will be sure to raise their solar fee's if they are below the area average.

Kurt Newick wrote:

Thanks for the shining the light on the cities with excessively high solar permit fees and commending the ones with reasonable ones!
I'd like to point out that the Sierra Club report recommends permit fees of $324 or less (not $234 as mentioned in this article). This is based on 1 to 2 hours for permit approval (processing permit submittal paperwork) and 1 to 2 hours of inspection time).
Here is a link to the Sierra Club, Angeles chapter web site to view the full report on this issue. This report has details of what cities are charging and how long they take to issue solar permits, as well as specific recommendations that document best practices:
http://angeles.sierraclub.org/energy/pvfeerep...

Solar is a subsidy to the rich. Permit fees should be high.

Solar households already get net energy metering and that means that they get a FREE RIDE.

They pay $0 to support the transmission grid.

They pay $0 to support the wires that connect to their houses.

They pay $0 for the power plants that provide them power at night.

They pay $0 for the benefit of having ALL OTHER CUSTOMERS subsidize them.

If they cut themselves OFF the grid and bought batteries, and if they didn't want ANY services from the grid that the rest of us are paying for, then they could pay $0.

As it is now, the rich fat cats get huge tax breaks and avoid paying their fair share of grid costs by buying solar.

Larry Hagman is a classic example. He's an arse-hole actor with too much money that sucks subsidies for solar.

Subsidy to Rich wrote:

<quoted text>
Solar is a subsidy to the rich. Permit fees should be high.
Solar households already get net energy metering and that means that they get a FREE RIDE.
They pay $0 to support the transmission grid.
They pay $0 to support the wires that connect to their houses.
They pay $0 for the power plants that provide them power at night.
They pay $0 for the benefit of having ALL OTHER CUSTOMERS subsidize them.
If they cut themselves OFF the grid and bought batteries, and if they didn't want ANY services from the grid that the rest of us are paying for, then they could pay $0.
As it is now, the rich fat cats get huge tax breaks and avoid paying their fair share of grid costs by buying solar.
Larry Hagman is a classic example. He's an arse-hole actor with too much money that sucks subsidies for solar.

We need CHEAP power to move ahead, not big subsidies and higher taxes.

TORRANCEJIM wrote:

More power to the Sierra Club for pointing out the obscene "fees" for solar permits. My Torrance solar cost about $1,000. It would would be interesting to see what other taxes the city would come up with if everybody had enough solar output to cancel out the utility tax. Torrance utility tax is 6 1/2% of the KWH used from Edison.

Excellent Post! It certainly will be interesting!

The Federal govt should put pressure on this issue, the whole country needs to be united in all matters that involve dependence on foreign oil. Citizens should start filing class action lawsuits against those cities in order to force this legal battle up to the state level where regulatory measures can be put in place to prevent price gouging and excessive permits against the unwary consumers.

just drill Alaska there is enough oil we wouldn't need any foreign country ever again ..but No these stupid morons keep trying to capture the sun ..solar doesn't work worth a damn just a joke like all things called global warming

TORRANCEJIM wrote:

More power to the Sierra Club for pointing out the obscene "fees" for solar permits. My Torrance solar cost about $1,000. It would would be interesting to see what other taxes the city would come up with if everybody had enough solar output to cancel out the utility tax. Torrance utility tax is 6 1/2% of the KWH used from Edison.

Everybody wants their cut. That's how the scumbags work... With you going with solar the city is probably going to lose money over the long run, so they impose a "fee" to recoup the loss..

For instance take the TUSD. If you expand you house over 500sq ft, you are required to pay the district (TUSD) a "fee" of approx $3000 to expand YOUR house ... What ?????? What a scam !!!!!

XK10H wrote: "just drill Alaska there is enough oil we wouldn't need any foreign country ever again ..but No these stupid morons keep trying to capture the sun ..solar doesn't work worth a damn just a joke like all things called global warming"

Wake up! If you don't believe in global warming (and I cannot believe there's anyone out there still stupid enough not to believe the facts), then what about good ol' every day pollution that hazes up our sky and causes breathing issues. Think we might want to innovate energy-wise as a means to deal with that?

While the rest of us are trying to literally stave off an environmental disaster of epic proportions, those with their heads in the sand can consider this: oil will eventually be depleted and planning ahead means we don't have to ration electricity. Competition for oil with places like China and India will grow as populations and affluence in these countries grow. Likewise, pollution will grow as more and more countries try to adopt an energy/oil hungry Americanized lifestyle. The time to embrace alternative energies was 1975. Instead, the whole country has been dragging around albatroses and dinosaurs (oil pun intended) who think drilling is the answer. Solar technology exists, the more people who embrace it, the cheaper it will become.

SolarGirl wrote:

The time to embrace alternative energies was 1975. Instead, the whole country has been dragging around albatroses and dinosaurs (oil pun intended) who think drilling is the answer. Solar technology exists, the more people who embrace it, the cheaper it will become.

Yep, 1975 was the time to face our oil dependency. Every president has declared a problem with buying our oil overseas and promised to take care of it. Everyone of them has failed completely. Not one of them has gotten any oil off the California coast. Not one has increased drilling in Alaska. Not one has started the program to use coal for gasoline and diesel fuel, which the germans proved a viable method in WWII. Instead we get wind (not on my skyline, it kills birds) solar (very expensive for photovoltaic, not scalable for focused heating for steam) and ethanol (turn food into fuel, then what will we eat? also ineffective as it takes more diesel than you get back as fuel). Nuclear is a dead issue although it is the most efficent, safest and readily usable. We won't use any of the available things to solve the problem because the kids have been brainwashed in schools to abhor the very idea of petroleum and coal as fuels. We have abundant natural gas but most is never going to be used because you must drill to exploit it. the enviro-wackos will be the end of the United States as a major world power.