CalAPP program
How can I make use of the California Energy Commission's funding opportunity?
(CalAPP) provides funding to California’s local governments, cities, counties, and other Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), with the intention of implementing automated solar permitting. Awards ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 will be distributed to eligible applicants, and the award amount will be dependent on the population of the AHJ.
The awarded grant funding should be used for costs associated with the adoption of an automatic permitting platform such as SolarAPP+. These costs include reimbursement of staff time used for evaluation, training, adoption and maintenance associated with the implementation of SolarAPP+ or similar. For example, this may include funding for items such as printouts or other training materials, hardware, equipment, rental facilities and training events for staff and local installers. If the AHJ has already adopted SolarAPP+ or similar, the awarded funding may be used for costs associated with the maintenance and subscription of permit tracking software such as Accela, EnerGov or others, for up to three years. However, this funding may not be used regarding any costs that occurred prior to the acceptance into the CalAPP program, and may only be used for costs that occur during the term of the grant agreement.
Grants will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis, and must be submitted by May 1st, 2024, or until funding is exhausted. If an AHJ’s application is rejected from the CalAPP program, they may submit a new application to be re-assessed before the deadline. Once a selected AHJ has been awarded funds and has successfully implemented an automatic solar permitting platform, data may be requested by the California Energy Commission. This includes data on system capacity, as well as the number of permits distributed within a specific timeframe. For more information regarding CalAPP, please refer to the ‘Common Questions’ section here, as well as the solicitation manual found here.