The permitting process is one of the biggest bottlenecks for residential solar installation and the Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) platform is tackling this challenge one permit at a time. Launched in 2021, SolarAPP+ now serves more than 62 communities across the nation, with more than 22,000 permits issued, 127,000 kilowatts approved, and 22,000 estimated hours saved in review time. Created by a team of researchers out of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), SolarAPP+ is an online platform that instantly issues permits for code-compliant residential photovoltaic systems, making it easier for local governments to approve standardized projects quickly and safely. As a result, SolarAPP+ projects are permitted, installed, and inspected 13 days sooner than traditional projects and staff are saving between 15-60 minutes of review time per permit.

The team initially received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) as part of the Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) in 2019, administered by the Office of Technology Transitions. From the onset, SolarAPP+ engaged industry partners, such as the California Solar Storage Association, Solar Energy Industries Association, Sunpower, Sunrun, and Tesla. A SolarAPP+ Foundation has been established to transition SolarAPP+ from the NREL team into a sustainable long-term operation. In the meantime, SETO has continued to support SolarAPP+’s development and technical assistance for adopters. The NREL team has expanded into storage permitting and is exploring several other clean energy technologies to incorporate into the SolarAPP+ software.