NREL invites Symbium to advise on EV charging permit automation

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) has invited Symbium, the leader in instant permitting, to provide expert guidance and feedback on their EV charging permit automation (EVSE Permit Automation) project. This collaboration further solidifies Symbium’s leadership in instant permitting, particularly for compliance verification across clean energy and development projects nationwide.

NREL, known for their role in developing SolarAPP+ — a basic compliance-checking tool limited to a narrow scope of residential solar and energy storage projects — is now recognizing the value of Symbium’s comprehensive and highly configurable instant permitting system. Unlike SolarAPP+, Symbium’s technology, launched from Stanford’s AI Lab, empowers jurisdictions to instantly issue permits (not merely compliance documentation) for a broad range of projects — solar, EV charging, reroofing, heat pumps, and more — all within a single, seamless experience.

Similar to how the iPhone redefined consumer interactions with mobile technology, Symbium reimagines how contractors and homeowners engage with local governments, dramatically simplifying permitting and regulatory compliance. Instead of forcing jurisdictions to individually adopt multiple limited-scope permitting apps (I.e. a solar app, an EV charging app, an HVAC app, a reroof app etc.), Symbium’s solution streamlines and integrates these workflows into a single, extendable platform.

While NREL continues to explore how best to organize and advance the EVSE Permit Automation initiative, Symbium has already successfully launched instant permitting for EV charging and many other project types in cities like Bakersfield, California — a milestone now quickly being replicated by Symbium in jurisdictions nationwide. As of the writing of this post, the collaboration is on (what we hope is) a brief pause, likely due to NREL funding constraints, but Symbium remains ready to support NREL as they navigate this complex permitting landscape, aiming to ensure their future instant permitting efforts surpass their initial achievements. We’re committed to helping NREL — and all jurisdictions — get permitting right!

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About Symbium

Symbium has been recognized as a national organization focussed on clean energy research, development, and deployment and is the leader in automating compliance checks for instant or accelerated permit issuance across a range of project types in the energy saving space. The company partners with local building departments to enable instant permitting, which is used by high volume and independent installers everywhere. Symbium is currently a resident at Autodesk and has achieved significant recognition and growth as a proud portfolio company of climate impact leaders such as Elemental Impact and RMI’s Third Derivative. The company continues to receive numerous awards for its breakthrough tech and success with instant permitting from the Association for Corporate Growth, GovTech 100, the ALP Alain Colmerauer Heritage Prize, the Ivory Prize, BuiltWorlds Maverick, and the Hive 50.

About NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory dedicated to advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies through research, innovation, and strategic partnerships. Known for its pioneering role in renewable energy systems — including the initial development of SolarAPP+ — NREL actively collaborates with industry leaders and communities to transform the nation’s energy landscape toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.