According to a new study by SunRun, a home solar company, and economic consultancy company AECOM, simpler solar processes could make up to $5 billion in additional solar power growth in California.

The study said this would be a 20 percent increase over what is currently generated. SunRun Director of Government Affairs Ethan Sprague said this offers a low-cost way to add billions to the economy, and it's just a matter of putting guidelines that already exist to use.

SunRun said if there was a uniform permitting system, this would save about $1,900 per system installed and create about 3,860 permanent jobs. The Sacramento Bee said it would also increase the number of solar units installed by 13 percent, or 132,000 units.

California Governor Jerry Brown has called for the installation of 12,000 megawatts of solar power generated from the roofs of warehouse, parking lot structures, schools and other government buildings. This goal would bring enough solar power to give energy to 12 million households, the Bee reports.