In an effort to promote the adoption of SolarApp+, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office has created a $1M program to incentivize AHJs. SolarApp+ streamlines and digitizes the solar permitting process by reducing the number of permits that must be manually processed by an AHJ. This drastically reduces the time that an AHJ spends on permit processing for standard solar installations. In 2021, across only 10 jurisdictions, SolarApp+ was able to save 3000 hours of staff time and reduced the likelihood of solar projects failing inspection by 37%. Prizes of $15,000 will be awarded to local governments that successfully adopt or pilot SolarAPP+. AHJs should apply for this program via the DOE Process detailed on the American-Made SolarApp+ Prize web page.
Timeline & Deadlines:
- Program opened on September 12, 2022
- Step 1 submissions due on November 4, 2022 at 3 p.m. ET
- Eligible competitors are expected to be announced in late November 2022
- Step 2 final submissions are due April 27, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET
- Winners are expected to be announced in May 2023
https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/american-made-solarapp-prize