California has invested lots of money and sweat equity in building the foundation for green energy, nowhere more so than in the Sacramento region.

It would be a crying shame if too much government red tape got in the way of reaping the rewards.

As The Bee's Rick Daysog reported this month, contractors and others in the business of installing solar panels are complaining about exorbitant permit fees and inconsistent regulations from one city or county to the next.

While some of the griping may be overblown, it's in the self-interest of local officials - and to the benefit of the broader community - to make sure solar providers aren't being unnecessarily or unfairly handcuffed. After all, small solar projects are among the few rays of sunshine in an otherwise dark construction industry; they could be a key engine for economic recovery.

So it's a hopeful sign that local officials are responding.

Sacramento city planners are already proposing to streamline the process by offering a standardized permit for many small solar projects. The permit would be available after a one-hour plan check and one site inspection. The fee would go to a flat $280 from the current percentage of a project's cost that averages $724 for a 3-kilowatt system.

The City Council is to get the recommendation on May 31; it should quickly sign off.

While the League of California Cities supports members that want to promote solar by offering flat rate fees, it is not drafting any statewide guidelines. It ought to at least look at some uniform regulations that would make sense.

The league can take a cue from the California County Planning Directors Association, which is starting work on a model ordinance for regulating solar arrays that are bigger than for just a single home or business, but are not on the scale of the massive plants proposed for the Mojave Desert and elsewhere. An email survey found that there is a wide range of standards - or no standards at all - in the 58 counties for such projects.

Tim Snellings, Butte County's development services director who is leading the effort, says increasing numbers of farmers are being approached to lease land for arrays that would cover a half-acre to tens of acres and would sell the electricity generated to local utilities.

Issues on the agenda for the first meeting, planned for Thursday, include promoting solar while still protecting agricultural land and determining which projects would need just a building permit and which would require a full environmental review.

"We are all for solar," Snellings says. "We want to it to take off. The question is how to do that responsibly."

He hopes the planners group can come up with an ordinance in the next few months that counties can adopt or at least use as a starting point for their own policy.

California wants 1 million solar roofs by 2018. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last month requiring that utilities obtain at least 33 percent of their energy from solar, wind and other renewable sources by 2020.

The aim is to lower greenhouse gas emissions, while boosting the green energy sector.

In large measure, decisions made on the local level will determine whether those goals are reached. It's good that local officials are recognizing that.

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