America’s demand for solar energy is spreading – and fast. In just the last eight years, solar electricity generation has increased 30-fold and solar jobs are growing 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. While the cost of photovoltaic (PV) panels has been steadily and rapidly declining, the other soft costs – such as permitting, installation, labor, grid connectivity and other indirect costs – can account for up to 64% of the cost of an installation.

Energy Department Announces More than 90% Achievement of 2020 SunShot Goal

BCAP and the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide solar training to architects and engineers in 22 key metropolitan areas across the U.S. This project will utilize a train-the-trainer approach to deliver education and resource access to designers with the goal of ultimately reducing the indirect costs of solar transactions. BCAP’s role in the initiative spans two years and is designed to give these professionals the tools they need to incorporate solar into their blueprints and designs. When architects and engineers better understand how solar impacts their day-to-day work, they can support solar growth and eliminate barriers to widespread acceptance.

Solar Smart Architects from GW Solar Institute on Vimeo.

The training will address topics such as basic technical information on solar photovoltaics (PV), policy and community benefits of enhanced PV deployment, the state of the market for PV, and the role of various market players in advancing PV deployment. Continuing education credits will be provided.

“Design professionals play a crucial role in solar deployment since they are in the unique position of educating building owners, appraisers, and code officials as part of every project.”
– Maureen Guttman, AIA, and BCAP President

 

This project aims to help achieve the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative goal of reducing the total installed cost of solar energy systems to $0.06 per kWh by 2020 by reducing the soft costs in solar installations. The goal of this project is to identify and eliminate barriers to widespread solar acceptance and to support strong growth in the solar sector.

Building design professionals are ideally suited to make solar energy part of the dialogue during the design phase of new buildings. Incorporating solar directly into building designs reduces the overall cost, including the expense of permitting, installation and labor, and will support the continued growth of solar energy technology. Having more solar energy seamlessly integrated into building design can also increase consumer satisfaction and confidence in solar as a safe and reliable technology. With knowledge and access to information and resources, design professionals can help reduce the soft costs and make solar more affordable.