SolarAPP+ Foundation Appoints First Executive Director

The SolarAPP+ Foundation announced that Mark Rodriguez has joined as the first Executive Director of the organization. Mark will oversee and accelerate the continued adoption of the SolarAPP+ software tool in cities and counties across the United States. SolarAPP+ is the online permitting tool developed by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that allows rooftop solar and batteries to be approved by local jurisdictions instantly. Management of the SolarAPP+ software is transitioning to the SolarAPP+ Foundation, in partnership with UL. In his new role, Mark will work to support the adoption of SolarAPP+ by more than 20,000 jurisdictions across the country. 

“Mark was the perfect candidate to take over day-to-day functions of the SolarAPP+ Foundation,” said Larry Sherwood, President of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and Chairman of the SolarAPP+ Foundation Board. “He brings vast solar industry experience, as well as a near-encyclopedic knowledge of codes and code requirements across the United States. I’m looking forward to working with him more closely in his new role.” 

Getting a permit to install solar and batteries can often take weeks or even months and cost upwards of $7,000 per project. This is why in 2021, NREL launched SolarAPP+ to automate and streamline this process. Since its start, sixty-one jurisdictions have issued nearly 27,000 permits through the tool, 2,400 of which have also included batteries. Not only does it speed permit approval, but also NREL analysis found that permits that went through SolarAPP+ were more code compliant than those that did not. A project is 30% less likely to fail inspection if it went through SolarAPP+, than previous alternatives. 

SolarAPP+ saves cities and counties time as well, so that their employees can focus on more complicated permitting issues. In 2022, 11,000 permits were processed, which eliminated more than 134,000 days of permitting delays. This benefits local jurisdictions, individual consumers, and solar installers. 
 
“I’m thrilled to be taking on this new role at the SolarAPP+ Foundation during this critical time,” said Mark Rodriguez, Executive Director of the SolarAPP+ Foundation. “With more than 20,000 jurisdictions across the country, each with different processes and code requirements, now is the time to bring on more jurisdictions to adopt the SolarAPP+. The tool is a true win-win for jurisdictions, consumers, and solar installers in our fight against climate change.” 

Before the SolarAPP+ Foundation, Mark Rodriguez served as a Senior Building Standards and Codes Manager for the national rooftop solar and battery company, Sunrun. In this role, he supported the operations team through development, interpretation, and application of codes and standards. He has faced the challenges of design, permitting, installation, and inspections for solar and storage for nearly a decade, and in this role, he had access to hundreds of thousands of projects, permitted across all 50 states. 

Additionally, Mark was one of a team of engineers responsible for the back-end compliance check for SolarAPP+, ensuring that it complied with codes and standards.  Mark has held additional roles with the California Solar & Storage Association, the Sustainable Energy Action Committee, and as a member of the UL 9540 Standard Technical Panel.

Prior to this, Mark worked in the Electrical Integration field, designing and installing mobile and fixed site interoperability systems throughout Los Angeles County, supporting police and fire departments to conduct field operations between departments. Previously, he engineered and designed Specialty Vehicles, honing his skills in the mobile electronics industry. Mark also served in the United States Marine Corps for 9 years as a counter-intelligence specialist.

SolarAPP+ Foundation | https://www.irecusa.org/programs/solarapp/