The permitting problem and how we’re solving it

Attention US Solar Pros!….

Imagine a world where you sell a resi solar project, click a few buttons, and bang, you can go and install it the next week or even the same day?! No permitting process, no site visits, no line drawings and customer visits. This would save you thousands of dollars and weeks of effort on every single project!

This is the reality in most global markets, with rooftop solar penetration reaching 33% in regions such as Australia. Imagine how big your business could be if a third of your community went solar in the next few years?! And imagine how much money you could make if you didn’t have to do all that work! It could save you and your customers thousands of dollars.

I co-founded SolarAPP+ in 2017 by creating and proving the concept, and pulling together the consortium of industry players that funded and built it. A platform designed to streamline the permitting process and eliminate unnecessary roadblocks. It was and is mission-critical for the continued expansion of the US market! Now more than ever.

And so it’s a great milestone this week to launch the integration of OpenSolar with SolarAPP+ to make this a reality!

Having been a part of NREL for the last few years in slow, steady development, SolarAPP+ is now a stand-alone fast-moving non-profit start-up. I had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO, Matthew McAllister, and we discussed how the platform is transforming the permitting process and what it means for installers. After 5 years of work by an amazing team of volunteers, we’re finally seeing SolarAPP+ take off. 276 jurisdictions across 13 states use SolarAPP+ to automate their permitting processes. We have a working tool delivering thousands of permits to Pros who are saving thousands of dollars on every project! In addition, 2 states have legislatively mandated automated permitting and 8 are in the process.

Before SolarAPP+, getting a permit took weeks or even months of work, with every job varying by jurisdiction. The process often involved inconsistent requirements, back-and-forth paperwork, and lengthy manual reviews, all resulting in the unnecessary cost of managing a customer over months of delays (including losing ⅓ of them to cancellations typically).

SolarAPP+ was created to change all that. By automating plan reviews and compliance checks, the platform allows instant permit approvals in participating jurisdictions.

For installers, SolarAPP+ is a game-changer. Here’s how it helps:

– Cuts permitting timelines by three weeks – get approvals in minutes instead of weeks.
– Reduces failed inspections by 29% – automated compliance checks ensure plans meet code requirements before installation.
– Minimizes administrative burden – less paperwork, fewer delays, and fewer rejected applications.
– Scales your business – faster permitting means you can take on more projects.
– Saves local governments time – officials spend about one hour less per project thanks to automation.

SolarAPP+ now supports battery storage, system additions, and new construction projects, making it even more valuable as solar technology evolves.

To make the permitting process even easier, we’ve now integrated SolarAPP+ directly into OpenSolar. With this integration, you can link OpenSolar projects to SolarAPP+ applications, track permit approvals within OpenSolar, and save time by spending less time on admin and more time installing solar.

If you’re looking to use SolarAPP+ with OpenSolar, we’ve put together a guide to help you get started.

The faster we can eliminate permitting bottlenecks, the faster we can scale solar adoption. Let’s work together to make instant permitting the norm.