858: This Nonprofit is Revolutionizing Solar Permitting | Nick Josefowitz

Sep 26, 2025

Nick Josefowitz, founder of the nonprofit Permit Power, discusses the staggering costs of rooftop solar in the U.S. He reveals that the true culprit is not the technology but the excessive paperwork and permitting delays. Drawing on his background as a developer and policy leader, Nick highlights how streamlined processes in states like California and Texas are transforming the solar landscape. He shares innovative solutions to reduce interconnection hurdles and explains why a nonprofit approach is vital for reforming an industry riddled with inefficiencies.

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INSIGHT

Paperwork, Not Panels, Drives U.S. Costs

High U.S. rooftop solar prices come largely from paperwork, not panels.
Permitting and interconnection delays turn a commodity into a bespoke product and inflate costs.

ANECDOTE

Career Path That Sparked Permit Power

Nick drew on eight years as a C&I developer and a decade in public infrastructure policy.
Those experiences led him to found Permit Power as a nonprofit to fix permitting and interconnection.

INSIGHT

Local Rules Make Solar 'Artisanal'

Slow, inconsistent local rules force each system to be custom and slow deployment.
That bespoke process raises customer acquisition costs and causes high attrition for installers.

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Why is solar so expensive in the U.S.?

Nick Josefowitz has the receipts—and a plan to fix it.

In this episode, we dig into one of the largest hidden reasons rooftop solar costs $35,000+ for the average American homeowner (while in Australia it's closer to $6K). Spoiler: It’s not the panels—it’s the paperwork.

Nick is the founder of Permit Power, a nonprofit laser-focused on making solar faster, cheaper, and easier to install by tackling the bottlenecks that most people overlook: permitting and interconnection. Drawing from his experience as both a C&I developer and public infrastructure policy leader, Nick shares how America’s red tape turned rooftop solar into a bespoke luxury—and why that’s about to change.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by utility interconnection delays, permit backlogs, or unnecessary installation costs, this is the episode that gives you hope—and tools.

🎧 Expect to learn:

🔹 Why U.S. rooftop solar is 5x more expensive than in other countries

🔹 The hidden costs of permitting delays—and how they drive up CAC

🔹 How smart policies in CA, TX & FL are changing the game

🔹 Why Nick chose to build a nonprofit to fix a for-profit industry problem

📣 Whether you're a solar installer or policy nerd, this one’s for you. Listen in and get inspired to fix solar from the inside out.

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