DSIRE
DSIRE is a free, publicly available non-profit database of U.S. renewable-energy and energy-efficiency incentives, operated since 1995 by NC State University's NC Clean Energy Technology Center, serving policymakers, installers, developers, and consumers across all 50 states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersRaleigh, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What DSIRE does
DSIRE is a publicly accessible, non-profit database cataloging federal, state, local, utility, and third-party programs offering financial incentives and policy mechanisms that support adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States. Operated since 1995 by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center at North Carolina State University under a registered university trademark, DSIRE inventories approximately 2,800+ active program records spanning all 50 states and U.S. territories and serves roughly 80,000 monthly unique visitors drawn from policymakers, utilities, project developers, installers, researchers, and individual consumers. The dataset is distributed free of charge under a Creative Commons license, with program records continuously maintained by an internal team monitoring legislation, regulatory dockets, utility filings, and program-administrator communications.
The product surface has evolved beyond a single web compendium into three distinct commercial sub-brands. DSIRE Insight is a subscription research service producing thematic 50-state reports on emerging policy areas such as virtual power plants, grid modernization, electric-vehicle policy, and solar decommissioning. DSIRE API is a programmatic interface hosted on AWS that allows enterprise clients — including software platforms, consulting firms, and siting tools — to integrate the full DSIRE incentive dataset directly into proprietary workflows. DSIRE Consulting delivers bespoke research, briefings, and analysis engagements. Underlying technology is centered on a curated, manually maintained database of structured program metadata, augmented by quarterly summary maps and downloadable tax-credit tables; there is no disclosed AI or machine-learning component.
DSIRE's commercial model is a non-profit operation embedded in a public university research center, combining mission-aligned work with limited commercial monetization. Revenue is generated through three channels: a web sponsorship program capped at five sponsors paying $5,000 per six-month period (listed on the public site); quote-based enterprise API access; and project-based consulting engagements. Historical funding came primarily from the U.S. Department of Energy (most recent disclosed grant covering 2013–2016) supplemented by state agency support, with the post-2016 transition toward commercial revenue still in progress.
DSIRE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DSIRE
- Legal name
- North Carolina State University
- Website
- https://dsireusa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- DSIRE is a free, publicly available non-profit database of U.S. renewable-energy and energy-efficiency incentives, operated since 1995 by NC State University's NC Clean Energy Technology Center, serving policymakers, installers, developers, and consumers across all 50 states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DSIRE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy Database
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- DER Aggregation & Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) (EUAMAJAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customer Grid-Edge Enablement Services (HEMS/DR Device Integration, VPP Enablement) (EUAEANAL), VPP Orchestration & Aggregator Operating Platforms (EUAFAKAC), DER Dispatch, Aggregation & Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Integration (EUADALAI)
Keywords
Where DSIRE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Raleigh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
DSIRE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- DSIRE Sponsorship: Organizations pay $5,000 for six months of prominent logo placement on the DSIRE homepage with a direct link to their website. Up to five sponsor slots available, first-come, first-served.
- DSIRE API Access: Subscription-based access to the full DSIRE database content in real time, allowing subscribers to present results on their own websites and tools. Pricing not publicly disclosed.
- DSIRE Consulting Services: Custom research and analysis services provided by NC Clean Energy Technology Center analysts, including comparative state policy analysis, pending legislative/regulatory analysis, new markets research, and DSIRE Distillation reports.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | DSIRE Homepage Sponsorship |
| Other | Multi-year contract | DSIRE Consulting Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
DSIRE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DSIRE is a comprehensive free public database that aggregates and disseminates approximately 2,800+ federal, state, territorial, local, and utility-level incentives and policies supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency across all 50 U.S. states and territories. It sells complementary premium services including the DSIRE API (real-time programmatic access via AWS), DSIRE Insight (subscription-based premium analytical content and reports), DSIRE Consulting (custom policy research), and homepage sponsorships, serving installers, policymakers, utilities, researchers, and electricity consumers.
Product overview
DSIRE (Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency) is a policy and incentive information platform operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University. The core offering is a free public database covering federal, state, local, and utility-level incentives and policies for renewable energy and energy efficiency across all 50 U.S. states and territories. The product portfolio consists of the public DSIRE Database as the foundational free resource, the subscription-based DSIRE Insight service providing premium analysis and reports, the DSIRE API enabling real-time programmatic access to the full dataset via AWS, and the DSIRE Consulting professional service for custom research. Supplementary resources include Detailed Summary Maps (quarterly updated geographic policy overviews in PowerPoint and PDF formats), Database Archives (monthly data exports), and a Glossary covering all incentive and policy types tracked in the system.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DSIRE Insight: Subscription service providing additional analysis and insights beyond the free database.
- DSIRE API
- DSIRE Consulting
Products and services
- DSIRE Database (Public) A free, publicly accessible searchable database providing summaries of federal, state, local, and utility-level incentives and policies supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency across all 50 U.S. states and territories. Users can filter by state, incentive type, technology type, implementing sector, and eligible sector.
- DSIRE Insight A subscription-based extension of the DSIRE database providing additional premium content, including DSIRE Insight blog posts, advanced research reports (e.g., 50 States of Solar Decommissioning, 50 States of Virtual Power Plants), and deeper policy analysis not available in the free public database.
- DSIRE API A real-time API providing full access to the DSIRE database, including policies and incentives across all 50 states, quantitative incentive data, qualitative policy details, zip code associations, and filtering by 124 energy technology categories. Delivered via AWS infrastructure for subscriber integration into their own websites, tools, and applications.
- DSIRE Consulting Custom research and analysis services provided by NC Clean Energy Technology Center analysts for topics extending beyond the scope of the free database. Services include comparative state policy analysis, pending legislative/regulatory action analysis, new markets research, and DSIRE Distillation custom deliverables.
- DSIRE Homepage Sponsorship Paid homepage placement providing sponsors with prominent logo placement and direct links on the DSIRE homepage for six months, priced at $5,000 per sponsor with up to five slots available.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80,000 monthly unique visitors accessing the database
Companies that use DSIRE
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
DSIRE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
DSIRE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- EnergySagecoreEnergySage provides support to DSIRE. EnergySage's solar calculator is integrated on the DSIRE website, and DSIRE receives endorsement and referral support from EnergySage.
- Indian Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy Database (IREEED)minorDSIRE staff and NCSU supported the development of India's IREEED database in collaboration with U.S. DOE and India's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Beta version launched at ireeed.gov.in.
- N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCSU)coreDSIRE is operated by the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University. The Center provides research staff, analysts, and institutional infrastructure to maintain and update the policy and incentive database.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
DSIRE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): EIA is the federal government's primary energy data publisher covering consumption, production, and policy. It overlaps with DSIRE on federal incentive reporting and is the broadest incumbent reference for U.S. energy information.
- Wood Mackenzie: Wood Mackenzie is a large commercial energy research and data provider covering renewables, grid, and policy globally. Its paid subscription reports and data products compete with DSIRE Insight at the high end of the market.
- BloombergNEF: BloombergNEF is a global commercial provider of clean energy, policy, and market intelligence. While broader in scope, it overlaps with DSIRE Insight in serving analysts and strategists tracking renewable policy and incentives.
- NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory): NREL was a historical DSIRE funder (2002-2013 subcontracts) and is a much larger federally funded research lab producing complementary open data, analysis, and tools on renewable energy and efficiency. NREL is the broader institutional incumbent in the same content category.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL): LBNL's Energy Markets and Policy group publishes high-impact research on solar adoption, rate design, and incentives — frequently cited alongside DSIRE data. It is a federally funded research peer with overlapping policy-tracking output.
Emerging players
- Atlas Public Policy: Atlas Public Policy builds commercial clean energy policy dashboards (e.g., EV Hub, Solar States Alliance) covering state and federal incentives and programs. It competes with DSIRE Insight for paid policy analytics customers while DSIRE owns the free database category.
Regional players
- Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): SEIA is the U.S. national solar industry trade association producing market reports, policy briefs, and state-level incentive summaries for the same installer/developer audience DSIRE serves. It complements rather than directly competes with DSIRE's free database.
Direct peers
- EnergySage: EnergySage is a leading solar marketplace serving the same consumer and installer audience as DSIRE and has an embedded partnership (solar calculator, referral traffic). Both surface incentives and policy information to drive solar adoption, making EnergySage the closest commercial peer despite its transactional model.
- Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA): CESA is a coalition of state clean energy funds that publishes program and policy information for member-state programs. It operates in a closely adjacent niche to DSIRE, focused on state-level program design and learning.
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC): IREC is a non-profit focused on clean energy workforce, codes, and standards with parallel policy-tracking functions to DSIRE. Both serve as authoritative non-commercial resources for state and utility clean energy program information.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
DSIRE social profiles
Digital presenceDSIRE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DSIRE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
DSIRE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DSIRE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DSIRE
What does DSIRE do?
DSIRE is a comprehensive free public database that aggregates and disseminates approximately 2,800+ federal, state, territorial, local, and utility-level incentives and policies supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency across all 50 U.S. states and territories. It sells complementary premium services including the DSIRE API (real-time programmatic access via AWS), DSIRE Insight (subscription-based premium analytical content and reports), DSIRE Consulting (custom policy research), and homepage sponsorships, serving installers, policymakers, utilities, researchers, and electricity consumers.
Is DSIRE a public or private company?
DSIRE is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was DSIRE founded?
DSIRE was founded in 1995. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is DSIRE based?
DSIRE is headquartered in Raleigh, United States, in the North America region.
How does DSIRE make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. DSIRE Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are DSIRE API Access and DSIRE Consulting Services.
Who are DSIRE's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Wood Mackenzie, BloombergNEF, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Atlas Public Policy is listed as an emerging player. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are EnergySage, Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) and Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC).
Does DSIRE have an API?
Yes. The DSIRE API allows subscribers to access the full content of the DSIRE database in real time and present the results of queries on their own websites and tools. It provides state-of-the-art design and access through AWS. The API includes policies and incentives available in all 50 states, quantitative incentive data, qualitative policy and incentive details, zip code association for all incentives, and filtering by 124 specific energy technologies.
What industry is DSIRE in?
DSIRE's product category is Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy Database. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMAJAC, DER Aggregation & Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), with a secondary code of EUAEANAL, Customer Grid-Edge Enablement Services (HEMS/DR Device Integration, VPP Enablement). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7370.