OpenSolar Releases Post-ITC Blueprint to Slash Solar Costs by 50%
San Francisco, July 9 2025 – With the decision by Congress to cut the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), the solar industry fears for the loss of 250,000 jobs, while the broader market braces for higher energy prices and less clean energy. But one veteran in the industry, Andrew Birch (“Birchy”), is pushing a bold message: this is the time to take control of our own destiny and win on merit.
“Everyone’s asking what happens when the ITC goes away,” said Andrew Birch (“Birchy”), CEO and co-founder of OpenSolar. “The better question is: what if we can stop relying on it?”
Birchy has spent 25 years in solar, advising governments and industry leaders around the world on policy and innovation. Using OpenSolar’s live cost data from the Australian and U.S. market, OpenSolar today is releasing a detailed model on how U.S. installers can reduce the cost of installing solar with a battery by 50%, from today’s $5 per W to under $2.50 per W – and still offer 30%+ energy savings to customers without the ITC.
Australia’s solar market reached 33% residential penetration by focusing on efficiency in sales, design and installation, reducing costs to $2 per W before incentives. By digitizing operations with world-class software and automating permitting with SolarAPP+, Birch says U.S. installers can replicate that success while cutting costs, lowering admin overhead, and future-proofing their businesses with fewer staff and smoother workflows.
“This is the giant opportunity: to reduce US solar plus storage costs to under $2.50 per W, and grow our industry sustainably, without the threat of subsidy reduction or net metering cuts”, said Birch, “This is a low-risk business model we can all invest in, and today we are laying out that cost reduction pathway.”
Birch says arcane local permitting is the main bottleneck holding the US back, but SolarAPP+ and aligned state policies create a path to fix it. “This has to be the top industry priority”, says Birch, “With automated permitting allowed in your area, and with efficient digital tools to design, sell, purchase, invoice and project manage, $2.50 per W is achievable.
OpenSolar will present at the RE+ conference with SolarAPP+ in September, discussing the benefits of an end-to-end digital workflow – and how US installers can free themselves of the ‘solarcoaster’ of government policy. OpenSolar will preview new AI-powered tools to further increase efficiency in design, sales and operations.
The cost reduction model is made available to media and the public at ebirchy.com
Links
Find out more about OpenSolar here and see Birchy’s other policy work at ebirchy.com.
Contact
Patrick Crane
E: [email protected]
