Chicago

ShutterstockMore solar is on its way.

The Windy City is blowing red tape and roadblocks out of the way for new solar-panel owners.

It used to take a month to receive a city permit needed to install a small solar array. That’s being reduced to one day. Meanwhile, the price of the permit is falling 25 percent to $275. These improvements are thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

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“It will encourage more and more people to have solar here in the city of Chicago on a residential and commercial level,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel said as he announced the changes at a solar event. “It will be cheaper, quicker and more efficient for people to put solar in.”

Chicagoans can apply for their permits through a new website, Chicago Solar Express.