The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) has announced it will reopen its Automated Permit Processing for Solar (APPS) grant program and award $1 million in funding, with Alamosa County and Boulder County receiving the first round of grants. The APPS initiative is designed to help local and tribal governments implement automated residential rooftop permitting software. Streamlined solar permitting can reduce the time and cost of switching to solar, benefiting families, local installers and local governments. A number of Colorado jurisdictions, including Denver County, have already successfully implemented automated permitting.
The newly reopened APPS program will award grants to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until funds run out. Depending on the population of the applicant’s jurisdiction, they can apply for maximum awards between $40,000 and $100,000.
“Automating the rooftop solar permitting process provides tremendous value to Boulder County,” said Ron Flax, deputy building director/chief building official for Boulder County. “Our installers work in many jurisdictions across the region at the same time, leading to many small but time-consuming details to manage during the permitting process. Streamlining the process can save both installers and staff a lot of time. We are pleased to have received APPS funding to help us integrate this program into our permitting process. We encourage other local authorities to sign up for the programme.”
Automated permitting software like SolarAPP+ or Symbium can help Colorado communities take full advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act benefits and long-term clean energy savings. Data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) also shows that SolarAPP+ alone saved more than 15,000 hours of local government staff time nationwide and accelerated solar permitting by a total of 150,000 business days through 2023. Symbium reports that its platform saves jurisdictions and contractors approximately three hours. weeks of permitting per project, for a saving of approximately 1 million hours.
“By making this technology accessible through grants, we are helping ensure that more communities can benefit from the efficiencies of automated permitting,” said Mike Kruger, executive director of the Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA) Institute. “This not only accelerates solar adoption, but also contributes to job creation and economic growth in the solar industry.”
News release from the Colorado Energy Office
