The number of solar permits being pulled on Oahu has declined dramatically compared to last year. The numbers for October, which is usually the start of the solar industry’s busy season, are particularly down.  

This from Marco Mangelsdorf, president of ProVision Solar on the Big Island:

Six straight months of decline of PV permits compared to the same period last year.

October 2013 PV permits were down by 1,147 compared to October 2012, a drop of 49 percent.  This year’s solar roller coaster is definitely less hilly than last year.

January-October 2012 the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting issued a total of 12,794 permits.  During the same period in 2013, 11,123 PV permits were issued, a drop of 1,671 or a decrease of 13 percent.

More dramatically, the stated value of permitted PV projects by the top 25 contractors dropped from a January-October 2012 total of $379,516,226 to $305,104,940, a drop of nearly 20 percent.

Vivint Solar pulled 370 more permits January-October 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, the contractor with the largest year to year increase of 34 percent. 

RevoluSun pulled 792 fewer permits January-October 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, the contractor with the largest year to year decrease of 56 percent.

The reality on the ground, as far as fewer PV systems being installed interconnected on O’ahu, is likely even worse than these permit numbers indicate.  Given the greater grid saturation in an increasing number of HECO circuits, it’s less of a sure thing than it used to be as far as a PV permit being pulled leading to an actual utility-approved and operational system.  Most contractors are likely pulling permits for sold systems given the relatively cheap transaction cost while not knowing for sure whether the system will actually be installed and approved.

— Sophie Cocke