While solar component costs are decreasing, balance of system and soft costs remain a huge obstacle to completing many commercial solar projects. But concept3D, a Colorado-based software studio and media services company, has partnered with NREL to help lower the soft costs of solar energy. concept3D received $1.3 million in funding from the DOE’s Sunshot Initiative to develop simuwatt Solar a tool that uses 3D modeling to streamline the entire process from sales to engineering, to permitting in a single application.

We spoke with the company’s CEO Oliver Davis to find out more.