The “Harmonizing Interconnection and Permitting Processes: Vermont Public Service Board” Case Study provides an overview of the State of Vermont’s harmonized permitting, inspection and interconnection (PII) review process for all residential-scale PV systems under 10kW. The harmonized PII process is designed to reduce soft costs associated with permitting, inspection and interconnection by 1) limiting the time involved in permitting systems under 10kW to a maximum of 10 business days after filing, 2) allowing for self-certification to Public Service Board interconnection rules, and 3) requiring utilities to review interconnection requests within the above-mentioned 10-day period. This streamlined process has helped residential-scale solar developers reduce costs associated with permitting by up to $1,500 per system under 10kW and allowed the Public Service Board to more carefully scrutinize larger-scale systems that are more likely to have an impact on Vermont’s electric grid.

This case study was created as part of the North Carolina Solar Center’s efforts under the SunShot Solar Outreach Partnership, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. As a member of this partnership, the North Carolina Solar Center provides information and technical expertise to local governments interested in implementing solar programs and policies.