About
Aurora came out of Stanford in 2013 on a simple premise from its founders Christopher Hopper and Samuel Adeyemo: designing a PV system should be as easy as installing one. The product models a roof in 3D from imagery, runs shade analysis against LIDAR rather than a technician on a ladder, validates the layout against NEC, and turns the result into a tablet-friendly sales proposal and a permit-ready plan set. Premium adds bankable shade reports and battery modeling for backup, self-consumption and arbitrage; Enterprise unlocks unlimited users, AI-assisted site models and the API. Financing is wired in through Sungage, LightReach and EnFin, and HelioScope covers the commercial side. Pricing is published per user per month — $159 Basic, $259 Premium, both capped at 50 projects a month — with on-demand site models, plan sets and engineering stamps sold as add-ons from $9.99. The company has raised through a Series D.
Use Cases
- Designing a residential PV system remotely, without a site visit
- Running bankable shade analysis for a finance partner
- Producing an NEC-validated, permit-ready plan set
- Building a tablet-friendly proposal at the kitchen table
Pricing
Residential 3D design and sales proposals with HD imagery and on-demand site models; 50 projects/mo, 1 user.
Adds LIDAR-assisted modeling, bankable shade reports and battery modeling (backup, self-consumption, arbitrage).
Unlimited users, AI-assisted site models, APIs and advanced permissions; custom per project.
Commercial solar design and yield analysis.
Capability Matrix
| Feature | Status | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Solar Design | Yes | Advanced |
| 3D Modeling | Yes | Advanced |
| AI Features | Yes | Advanced |
| Proposals & Quotes | Yes | Advanced |
| Digital Proposals | Yes | Advanced |
| Estimating | Yes | Standard |
| Compliance Tools | Yes | Advanced |
| Compliance Documents | Yes | Advanced |
| Report Generation | Yes | Advanced |
| Financing Options | Yes | Standard |
| Customer Financing | Yes | Standard |
| Third-Party Integrations | Yes | Standard |
| API Access | Yes | Standard |
| Permit Tracking | Yes | Standard |
| E-Signature | — | — |
| CRM / Customer Management | — | — |
| Mobile App | — | — |
Strengths
- Remote shade analysis against LIDAR instead of a roof visit
- NEC validation and permit-ready plan sets
- Battery modeling across backup, self-consumption and arbitrage
- Published per-user pricing
Best Fit
Solar sales and design teams that want to quote and permit a roof they have never stood on
Sized and priced for small operations — large shops may outgrow it.
Alternatives to Consider
EagleView
Aerial measurement and property intelligence platform providing instant roof, wall, and property measurements from aerial imagery for contractors and insurers.
OpenSolar
End-to-end solar design, sales and project management that is free for installers — auto 3D design, shade, proposals with financing, hardware BOM and a built-in CRM.
Solargraf
Solar design, proposal and permitting platform from Enphase — LIDAR 3D modeling, NREL/NYSERDA/CEC-verified shade analysis, and automated permit packages.