SolarAPP+ Prize Incentivizes Local Governments

Sept. 2022: The Solar Automated Permitting Process (SolarAPP+) was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in collaboration with local governments, code-development organizations, and industry stakeholders to automate the solar permitting review process, free up community staff time, and deliver instant permits for code-compliant PV systems.

The SolarAPP+ Prize is a two-step competition to incentivize communities to accelerate the adoption of SolarAPP+. NREL will manage the prize program with $1 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. Communities that are selected during Step 1, and successfully implement SolarAPP+ during Step 2, will be able to receive $15,000.

Although SolarAPP+ is free for communities to adopt, there are associated costs that arise during the adoption and implementation process. The SolarAPP+ Prize was created to ease the burden of these implementation costs for communities and to accelerate the adoption of SolarAPP+. To learn more, and/or apply, click here.

SolarAPP+ Approves Solar Permits the Same Day!

Jan. 2022: A new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows that in a pilot conducted in Arizona and California, the SolarAPP+ tool reduced the average permit review time to less than one day. Check it out!

DOE Sec. Challenges America’s Mayor to improve solar permitting.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has issued a challenge to mayors across the country, calling for 125 local governments to lead and initiate the process of adopting the SolarAPP+ tool in their communities by the end of the summer. SolarAPP+ is a web-based platform developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that expedites the solar permitting process.

The U.S. Department of Energy officially launched SolarAPP+ in July. The tool makes it easier for local governments to issue permits for rooftop solar, saving consumers, local governments, and installers time and money. Municipalities across the country are stepping up to meet the challenge, accelerating the growth of solar, reducing its cost and hassle factor, and growing small local businesses.

Solar APP+ Webinar Available

NREL provided an introductory Webinar on the Solar APP+ especially tailored for Pennsylvania’s municipal and township official. If you missed it you can listen here.

Easy Solar Permitting? Yes, with the SolarApp!

Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) is a powerful new free software tool developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that automates solar permitting. While the cost of solar energy has plummeted in the last ten years due to improvements in technology and installation, the “soft costs” i.e. permitting, inspection, and interconnection etc. remain much higher than in other countries. NREL has been working with an all-star team of experts to build an online permitting platform that automates rooftop solar plan review and produces compliant approvals instantly. The NREL team includes local governments, the building safety community, solar industry leaders, environmental organizations.. and you! NREL is making the software available to municipalities and townships absolutely FREE, and will provide training for FREE.

Automated permitting unleashes growth

Most residential solar systems are simple and standardized, like HVAC installations, but the sheer volume of applications can also be time and resource consuming for permitting departments. SolarAPP+ helps make this workload manageable.

 SolarAPP+ functionality:

●       Allows permit departments to collect the same permit fees, while also opening the door to market growth

●       Uses standardized compliance checks to catch typos, and errors; returning corrections to the applicant instantly

●       Eligible, cookie-cutter rooftop solar applications get approved permits to build instantly, while ineligible projects flow through a typical permitting review. Stale applications never require action.

●       Produces an inspection checklist replicating the application details for inspectors to utilize and confirm.

 For more information or to schedule a demonstration of SolarAPP contact Liz Robinson, at: lizhrob2@gmail.com. Also find more information at NREL’s new SolarAPP website: https://solarapp.nrel.gov/

To watch an informational video on the SolarApp, click below:

As everyone knows the DOE announced the availability of SolarAPP+. 

DOE declared this summer the #summerofsolar and highlighted the SolarAPP+ as an important tool for speeding up deployment of solar.  Granholm issued a challenge for local governments to sign up and publicly set a goal of getting 125 jurisdictions to sign up by the end of the summer.  

If you missed the roundtable with Granholm and local officials, it's worth a watch. Here's a link you can share: 

How to Pilot and Adopt SolarAPP+

Leadership Roundtable: Empowering Cities to Accelerate

As everyone knows the DOE announced the availability of SolarAPP+. 

DOE declared this summer the #summerofsolar and highlighted the SolarAPP+ as an important tool for speeding up deployment of solar.  Granholm issued a challenge for local governments to sign up and publicly set a goal of getting 125 jurisdictions to sign up by the end of the summer.  

In case anyone didn't see the roundtable with Granholm and local officials, it's worth a watch. Here's a link you can share:  

DOE Kicks Off 'Summer of Solar 2021' With Tool That Fast Tracks Solar

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today kicked off the ‘Summer of Solar 2021’ with the nationwide launch of the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) tool – a free web-based platform that gives local governments the ability to expedite their review and approval of residential solar installation permits. Developed by DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), SolarAPP+ will drastically reduce barriers to solar deployment, spur community economic development, and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s clean energy goals. For more: