OpenSolar & SolarAPP+ Team Up to Cut the Cost of US Residential Solar
San Francisco, March 12, 2025 – OpenSolar, the world’s leading solar software, now integrates with SolarAPP+, the automated and instant permitting tool transforming solar approvals across the US.
Permitting can add $3,800-$4,500 to the installation cost of a typical rooftop solar system. This game-changing partnership slashes permitting delays, speeds up projects by an average of three weeks, and cuts the cost of delivering solar to US customers.
A nonprofit initiative, SolarAPP+ eliminates permitting bottlenecks by automating plan reviews and compliance checks—delivering instant approvals in participating jurisdictions. Now, OpenSolar users can seamlessly connect projects to SolarAPP+ and track permits in one streamlined system.
“Red tape has held solar back for too long,” says Andrew Birch (“Birchy”), OpenSolar CEO and co-founder, and co-founder of SolarAPP+. “With SolarAPP+ fully adopted, I see US solar costs dropping to as low as $1.70/W—half of today’s installation cost.”
“With the integration of OpenSolar and SolarAPP+, we’re making it easier than ever to go from design to permit, reducing errors in permit applications and providing real-time checks for code-compliant designs,” says Matthew McAllister, CEO, SolarAPP Foundation. “We will continue to work with OpenSolar to make getting a permit as straightforward as possible and expand to more jurisdictions to support automating their plan reviews.”
Key Benefits:
– SolarAPP+ projects fail inspections 29% less often than traditionally permitted projects
– For local governments, about an hour is saved per project
– Each week of delay causes about 3% of homeowners to cancel their orders—instant permitting eliminates the need to resell
– SolarAPP+ cuts permitting timelines by an average of three weeks
SolarAPP+ adoption is now increasing and has been embraced in 275 jurisdictions across 13 states. Check which jurisdictions use SolarAPP+ here and help SolarAPP+ expand by reaching out to [email protected].
SolarAPP+ is continuing to drive industry progress by supporting battery storage, system additions, and new construction.
Links
Find out more about SolarAPP+ here
Visit OpenSolar’s website here
Contact
Patrick Crane
E: [email protected]
Matthew McAllister
E: [email protected]
