More than 160 communities in the United States are now using Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+™), a free, online software platform for local governments that standardizes, streamlines, and automates the solar permitting process. The platform has helped local governments approve more than 32,800 projects, saving more than 33,000 hours of … [continued]
In order to reach our climate goals of 100 percent carbon-free electricity generation by 2035 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by 2050, the United States must build renewable energy generators and transmission infrastructure at a rapid rate. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contains significant federal investments that could … [continued]
Clean energy and transmission projects can bring benefits to the communities that host them. Inviting local interests to the planning table helps ensure that.
Communities That Used SolarAPP+ Processed More Than 11,000 Solar Permits and Eliminated More Than 134,000 Days of Delays in 2022
Cumbersome, time-consuming, and costly solar permitting has been a major block to greater rooftop solar power adoption for decades. Even as solar panel costs came down and solar permitting was streamlined in other countries, the USA lagged behind in one of the most fundamental portions of the “going solar” process. … [continued]
12 Communities Selected To Adopt Online Solar Permitting Platform — and Win $15,000
The U.S. Department of Energy just launched the American-Made SolarAPP+ Prize to accelerate the adoption of SolarAPP+ by local governments. Counties, cities, and incorporated towns and villages in the United States can win $15,000 by applying before Nov. 4, 2022, and implementing SolarAPP+ by April 27, 2023. SolarAPP+ is an … [continued]
More than half a million residential solar systems were installed in the United States in 2021, representing a 30% year-over-year uptick in installed solar capacity. This is great news for households looking to both stabilize and lower their energy costs, but for the thousands of local jurisdictions responsible for permitting … [continued]
California recently launched a first-in-the-nation initiative to spur growth in rooftop solar and reduce consumer costs by cutting red tape that impedes solar installations. The California Energy Commission’s “CalAPP” program will provide incentives to cities and counties to adopt SolarAPP+, software designed by the federal Dept. of Energy using innovative … [continued]
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a new pilot study on the Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP+) tool — a free, web-based platform for automating residential solar permit approval—revealing the platform’s impact in the communities where it is deployed. The results of the study are impressive: The software substantially reduces the … [continued]
