**UPCOMING MEA FY25 GRANT PROGRAM - NOT YET OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS**
**NEW! ALL COUNTIES AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED TO RESPOND TO A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) FOR THIS PROGRAM. PLEASE SEE THE "REQUEST FOR INFORMATION" SECTION BELOW FOR DETAILS AND A LINK TO THE RFI.**
Program Purpose: The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is pleased to announce its upcoming FY25 Maryland SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program, which will provide grants to Maryland counties, cities, towns, and other Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), 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. The Maryland General Assembly passed the 2024 Brighter Tomorrow Act (S.B. 783, Chapter 595, 2024 Acts of Maryland), which requires Maryland local jurisdictions to adopt automated solar permitting software selected by and under the direction of MEA. MEA has determined that the NREL SolarAPP+ permitting platform meets the requirements for the software as outlined in the Brighter Tomorrow Act. SolarAPP+ was designed by NREL to provide an automated, streamlined, easy-to-use permitting system to quickly process applications and reduce installation timelines. Please see the sections below for more information on this upcoming MEA grant program. For full information on the SolarAPP+ software platform, visit
NREL’s SolarAPP+ webpage.
Program Description: The Maryland SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program will be offered to Maryland authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs, e.g., county, city, town, village, etc.) on a
first-come, first-served basis. Full eligibility requirements will be provided in the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which will be posted later this summer when the program opens for applications. Specifically, funds will be provided to help pay for the costs associated with implementing the SolarAPP+ permitting software. This is currently envisioned to include, but not be limited to, contractual support, staff training costs, software integration costs, and others.
NREL SolarAPP+ Introduction and Technical Demonstration: Counties and Municipalities are strongly encouraged to watch the introductory video below to better understand SolarAPP+ and its capabilities. The video includes an overview of the software, followed by a demonstration on how it's used.
Request for Information: The Maryland Energy Administration is seeking feedback on a key list of questions regarding the SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program in the Request for Information (RFI) in the survey link below. Responses will be important in helping to develop the final SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program design. MEA is particularly interested in receiving feedback from Counties, Cities, Towns, and other Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) over solar permitting practices. However, we value feedback from all stakeholders. Anyone is free to respond to the RFI. Responses to the RFI are due to MEA by no later than
3:00 P.M. ET, Friday,
August 23, 2024. LINK BELOW:
Note: Deadline for RFI updated to August 23, 2024 to allow more time for Counties and Municipalities to respond.
>>> FY25 SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program Request for Information (RFI) <<<
Type of Grant Program: Noncompetitive, first-come, first-served
Anticipated Budget: Final budget figures are still under development. Note: MEA anticipates that this program will be
federally-funded. Awardees will need to adhere to federal funding requirements, as applicable. More information about these requirements will be provided when the program FOA is published later this summer.
Program Documents: The Maryland SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program FOA is not yet available, but will be posted later this summer. Soon, MEA will post a Notice of Intent and Request for Information (NOI-RFI) that will provide basic program design information, as well as seek feedback from Maryland AHJs, solar industry stakeholders, and the public at large to help inform the ultimate design of the new Maryland SolarAPP+ Implementation Grant Program.
Program Contact: For more information on this upcoming MEA funding opportunity, please contact:
David Comis, Senior Clean Energy Program Manager
Email:
SolarAPP.MEA@Maryland.gov
Phone: 443.908.1743
