The International Code Council and FEMA released preliminary results on proposed code changes on Friday that would have increased solar technology to the highest possible risk category in the 2024 International Building Code. Backed by 300 companies, the Solar Energy Industries Association issued countermeasures to prevent solar technology from moving from risk category I to risk category IV. The ICC is reportedly approving the proposed move to risk category II instead.
“We are grateful to the ICC voters for recognizing how impractical it was to include solar and storage projects as Risk Category 4,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO and president of SEIA. “This decision is undoubtedly a victory for clean energy deployment in the United States after more than 300 companies signed a letter urging approval of SEIA’s compromise proposals.
“The extreme and overly burdensome code measures that would have been required under the FEMA proposal could have stifled clean energy growth without improving grid resilience,” Hopper continued. “The resulting effect, whether intended or not, would have been a disastrous decrease in renewable energy projects while we aggressively strive to meet important climate goals.”
There is expected to be a slight increase in manufacturing costs for ground-mounted solar structures with this shift to category II. Roth Capital Partners expects “modest increases in tracker costs,” with an estimated increase of 2-5% in category II, in contrast to an estimated 30-40% increase in category IV.
There will be additional inspection requirements from this new risk category designation, however, they will be less stringent than originally proposed. Risk category IV includes high-risk structures like first responder facilities, public utilities and power-generating stations. Risk category II structures are considered low-risk.
