The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is pleased to announce its FY25 Maryland SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program, which provides grants to Maryland Counties and Municipalities, to help pay the costs associated with implementing the free-to-use U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory SolarAPP+ solar permitting software for their communities.
Donor Name: Maryland Energy Administration (MEA)
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 04/01/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Funding is intended to offset the costs associated with implementing the free-to-use U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory SolarAPP+ solar permitting software into an AHJ’s current permitting process to streamline solar permitting in their jurisdiction.
The proposed grants will be made available to assist Counties and Municipalities with the short-term change management costs that may be associated with deploying a new software system, including the need for limited-time, project-specific staffing resources, financial or technical information technology (“IT”)-focused upgrades and integrations to existing permitting systems. Grant agreement will be reimbursed by MEA for a project.
Funding Information
The Program has a budget of approximately $3.9 million available for awards to local governments deploying SolarAPP+.
Eligible Activities
Grants will be made on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants and may be used for staff hours related to the implementation of SolarAPP+ software and procedures. Eligible uses of funding includes: staff time for:
- Training,
- Integration with existing IT permit systems,
- Developing new procedures and to integrate with existing systems and
- IT resources for implementing SolarAPP+.
MEA will also consider requests for additional costs related to SolarAPP+ deployment on a case-by-case basis, with justification from the County or Municipality through a Needs Assessment.
Eligibility Requirements
The following requirements must be met in order for the application to be considered eligible for a grant award.
- County or Municipality: The applicant must be a recognized Maryland County or Municipality that is responsible for issuing permits for residential solar photovoltaic (“PV”) energy generating systems. Each applicant will be required to provide documentation evidencing that the applicant meets the definition.
- Complete Application: To be considered eligible, applicants must submit a complete application with all required application documents and information listed under “Required Application Documents.”
For more information, visit MEA.
