NREL 5/3/23
Most rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems are required to go through a permitting process implemented by local authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), such as community or county governments. But, as rooftop PV becomes more efficient and accessible, it is straining the capacity of AHJs nationwide to issue permits.
The Solar Automated Permit Processing Plus (SolarAPP+) software eases the permitting process for residential PV and solar-plus-storage systems. With SolarAPP+, AHJs can instantly issue permits for code-compliant residential PV systems.
NREL has released a 2022 performance report on SolarAPP+, which includes these key results:
- Expanding rapidly—15 AHJs had publicly launched SolarAPP+ by the end of 2022, and 16 more were piloting the platform. Another 89 AHJs were testing or preparing to pilot SolarAPP+.
- Beyond the Sun Belt—Initially, SolarAPP+ was predominantly adopted in Arizona and California, but communities in other states, such as Connecticut, Texas, and Virginia have also implemented the tool.
- More permits—Across 31 AHJs, 206 installers submitted more than 11,000 permits using SolarAPP+ in 2022—a 300% increase over 2021.
- Shorter project timelines—A typical SolarAPP+ project is permitted, installed, and inspected approximately 13 business days sooner than projects permitted in the traditional way.
- Staff time savings—SolarAPP+ saved approximately 9,900 hours of AHJ staff time in 2022 (i.e., permitting department staff).
- No negative impact on inspections—SolarAPP+ projects were approximately 29% less likely to fail inspections than projects that were permitted the traditional way.
On May 16, the International Code Council (ICC), a collaborator that helped develop SolarAPP+, will host a webinar in which building officials from four communities—Denver, Colorado; Houston, Texas; Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Guilford, Connecticut—will discuss how automated solar permitting reduced permitting timelines, freed up staff time, and helped advance their community’s goals. NREL researchers will also present results from the SolarAPP+ 2022 performance review.
A second webinar will follow on June 6, providing a live demonstration of how the SolarAPP+ platform can permit residential solar and energy storage systems, too, showing how a contractor would input a system and an inspector would verify compliance in the field.