If you're thinking about installing a solar electric (photovoltaic or PV) system, the Marin Solar Program Web site, maintained by the County of Marin's Sustainability Team, is a great place to begin your research. Among its many offerings: downloadable maps that highlight solar intensity for Marin cities and the county overall, overlaid with street-name grids.

Solar companies in the county will also assess your location, and go over rebates available through the state's California Solar Initiative, as well as other financial incentives. The next step: checking out costs for permit fees. The latest figures, by city:

Belvedere: Applicants pay $175 for planning approval, but in terms of building permit fees, a solar installation is treated as an electrical permit. For systems of less than 5kW (kilowatts), the cost is $85 plus incidental fees; $170 for systems over 5kW.

Corte Madera: Using as an example a $27,000 solar installation, the total cost would be $582.70, which includes a $220 basic building fee; a plan check fee averaging $80; incidental fees totaling $12.70; and a $270 street impact fee. The amount could go up or down, depending on plan review time spent and the number of project plan sheets, the town said. The street impact fee would be less for a project valued under $27,000.

Fairfax: No solar permit fee, as of December 2006.

Larkspur: Larkspur's fees are valuation-based. For example, a $26,000 installation would cost $639.80, $464.20 of which represents the base permit fee and the remainder covering miscellaneous fees. Other fees normally associated with a regular building permit are waived for solar permits, which in this example reduced fees by nearly one-half.

Mill Valley: There is no charge for a permit if you go solar in Mill Valley, which in June won fourth place in the Yahoo! list of the "greenest" American cities. "We're encouraging them," building official Dan Martin said of solar installations.

Novato: A permit costs $207.

Ross: There is no permit fee for solar energy systems, and the town also offers $1,000 off the cost of a building permit for a new home project that incorporates solar. The program has been in effect since the end of December 2006. Also proposed: reducing fees associated with variances for solar panels (for example, those that need to be located in a setback) from $600 to $300.

San Anselmo: Minimum fee is $102.50 for the permit and $66.25 for a plan check, plus incidental fees.

San Rafael: Effective in August, the permit fee for all PV systems is $124.25.

Sausalito: The city does not charge a permit fee on solar projects. It does charge a plan check fee based upon the project costs, as well as a construction impact fee (.0085 x project fee).

Tiburon: Boasting the county's first town hall with a solar PV system, Tiburon has eliminated building permit fees for most solar panel applications.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Marin Solar Program, County of Marin > www.marinsolar.org

California Solar Initiative > www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov

California Solar Center > www.californiasolarcenter.org