Dive Summary:

• SolarCity, one of the two biggest rooftop solar installers in the U.S., is joining a legion of solar companies to fight utilities over the soft costs of implementing solar programs with utility partners.
• Soft costs are the non-hardware expenses it takes to process a project. SolarCity claims that Xcel Energy’s Solar Rewards program is the most slow-moving when it comes to easing the pathway for solar installation. “Can they make our lives harder?” said SolarCity Policy and Electricity Markets Director Meghan Nutting. “Yes. But not much. Their program is already that difficult.”
• Solar Freedom Now has demanded Congress create a national installation standard. Clean Power Finance has built a national database installers can use to manage red tape in individual jurisdictions. “These issues with Xcel need to be discussed publicly despite the possibility of retaliation because [the utility] hasn’t shown any interest in fixing its program,” Nutting said.

From the article:
“First, Hannah’s team has asked Xcel to allow electronic signatures on required documents. Having to sign and snail-mail documents slows things down…”