OpenSolar, a free design, sales and project management platform, now integrates with SolarAPP+, an automated and instant rooftop solar permitting tool.
SolarApp+ was released in 2021 by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). The free web-based platform was developed for the purpose of lowering the costs and timeframe associated with solar permitting and is said to cut about 12 days off the permitting process. SolarAPP+ has reportedly been embraced in 275 jurisdictions across 13 states.
SolarApp+ has been approved for both solar photovoltaic systems and battery energy storage.
According to OpenSolar, permitting can add as much as $4,500 to the installation cost of a typical rooftop solar system and as much as three weeks to project completion. By partnering with SolarApp+, OpenSolar said its users can eliminate the delay and also cut costs for U.S. solar customers.
By using OpenSolar connected to SolarApp+, users can track permits in one streamlined system. OpenSolar said by using SolarAPP+, the likelihood of projects passing inspection increases nearly 30% over traditionally permitted projects.
“Red tape has held solar back for too long,” said Andrew Birch (“Birchy”), OpenSolar CEO and co-founder, and co-founder of SolarAPP+. “With SolarAPP+ fully adopted, I see U.S. solar costs dropping to as low as $1.70/W—half of today’s installation cost.”
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