SEIA unveils policy agenda to expand US solar, storage and grid reforms
Image: SEIA
From pv magazine USA
SEIA has a new policy agenda centered on electric reliability in the United States.
The new policy agenda details actions for local, state and federal leaders to take to strengthen the US electric grid using solar and storage technologies. The “Solar and Storage Industry Policy Agenda for a Reliable, Secure Grid” offers a blueprint for modernizing energy infrastructure, supporting development of domestic supply chains, heavily investing in battery storage and other technologies.
SEIA’s reliability policy agenda includes:
Supporting development of domestic supply chains and traceability standards for solar and energy storage products and components
Meeting the demand challenges of AI and data centers by creating regulatory fast tracks for solar and storage projects co-located in high-growth load zones
Reforming interconnection processes to reduce costly delays and get solar and storage on the grid faster
Modernizing transmission infrastructure to expand the grid’s capacity to transmit more electricity
Investing in long-duration storage by fostering new research and deployment strategies
Reforming wholesale market design to properly account for the value solar and storage bring to the grid
Reforming state utility resource planning to evaluate solar and storage as capacity and energy resources that support reliability
Incentivizing distributed energy resource programs, including unlocking virtual power plants to strengthen the local and bulk power grid
“The reliability of our electric grid – and America’s ability to meet future energy demand – depend on adding more solar and storage to the energy mix,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA. “Today, reliable low-cost solar and storage account for the vast majority of the new power generation being built in America.”
Hopper said that if the administration wants to compete in the AI race, policymakers at all levels must adopt practical policies to strengthen the grid and speed up solar and storage deployment. She added that doing so would meet surging energy demand while keeping household power costs lower.
In July, SEIA launched a new grassroots advocacy campaign to mobilize Americans nationwide to urge state officials to support policies that strengthen the reliability and security of our electric grid by investing in solar and storage.