For industry insiders, reducing costs is not a new thing in order to develop solar energy in the United States. With the cancellation of the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), now is a good time to use existing tools to reduce costs and continue to have an impact. At the SolarAPP Foundation, we are committed to collaborating with installers and local governments to reduce licensing costs and shorten approval times, providing affordable energy for homeowners. Our software SolarAPP+has just issued over 100000 licenses - which fully demonstrates what we can achieve when all stakeholders work together to solve industry challenges.

SolarAPP+is an online software platform that automates the licensing process for residential solar and energy storage systems. Contractors using SolarAPP+do not need to wait for days, weeks, or even months of manual permit review to obtain immediate approval for compliant solar and solar+energy storage systems within their participating jurisdictions on the same day. This platform ensures compliance with electrical regulations, structural integrity, and other safety standards, enabling cities and counties to significantly reduce permit backlog and free up human resources.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States has collaborated with stakeholders in the solar industry, regulatory agencies, building safety communities, and local governments to develop SolarAPP+, aimed at making it easier and faster for jurisdictions to issue compliance licenses to licensed solar installers and contractors. SolarAPP+is currently managed by the non-profit organization SolarAPP Foundation, and I am honored to lead the foundation. Our goal is to reduce the cost of transitioning to clean energy.

SolarAPP+has achieved particular success in standardizing highly decentralized and time-consuming licensing processes across jurisdictions, reducing soft costs, and accelerating solar deployment schedules.