SEIA Policy Priorities
SEIA has identified a number of issues that are important to the solar industry. Solar energy is an economic engine, employing thousands of workers in green-color jobs and providing millions in investment and R&D capital annually.
Key Policy Priorities
Economic Recovery Legislation
The growth of the solar industry over the last few years has proven that solar is an economic engine that creates jobs in a wide variety of sectors. These are sectors that are hurting most: manufacturing, construction, roofing, electricians and more. With the right federal policies, the U.S. solar industry can be a near and long term job creating industry. It is critical that Congress pass stimulative policies that grow the solar industry, resulting in more investment and most importantly, more jobs.
See American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Renewable Portfolio Standards
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), also referred to as Renewable Electricity Standards (RES), put a requirement on retail electricity providers to supply a minimum percentage of their electricity from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal. SEIA recommends a federal renewable portfolio standard requiring utilities to generate 10 percent of our electricity by 2012 and 25 percent by 2025 from renewable sources, with 30 percent of the renewable energy generated by solar. The federal standard would defer to more aggressive state mandates. Solar thermal technologies (e.g. hot water, space heating and cooling) would qualify.
See Renewable Portfolio Standards
Global Warming
Carbon legislation is a key strategic opportunity to enhance solar outcomes & market viability. SEIA is working to optimize any carbon constraint to maximize solar deployment and market penetration.
Transmission
Access to high-voltage transmission lines is key to the development of utility scale solar power, as transmission lines are what move the power from where the electricity is generated to where it is consumed.
Interconnection / Net Metering
Interconnection standards dictate the administrative process and technical specifications a homeowner or installer must follow to install solar electric property ( solar panels, solar hot water heater, etc.) and connect that property to the local utility's distribution system. Net metering programs allow customers who generate more solar energy than they consume to sell the excess electricity back to their local utility. SEIA is working with federal officials in Congress and the Administration to develop national standards for Interconnection and Net Metering.
Land Use
Siting a solar power plant is no small feat. Land use and water rights must be considered, and securing access to a suitable site is only the first step in the siting process. SEIA supports the use of federal land for solar project development and is working with the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) to advance the use of public lands for solar power.
Create a Federal Clean Energy Bank
SEIA recommends the creation of a bank that would be the central office for the government to provide a range of financial tools to support the construction of renewable energy in the U.S. This would include rebates, loan guarantees, and low-and no-interest loans (funded by government guaranteed bonds) to finance the installation of utility-scale, commercial, and residential solar energy generation.
Create the Office of Renewable Energy Development
SEIA advocates the creation of a new office within the Executive Office of the President to direct all activities needed to significantly expand the generation of renewable energy in the U.S. This office would coordinate government activities across all agencies, to facilitate and incentivize the increased use of renewable energy, construct new transmission lines, site and permit new large-scale renewable energy power plants, and facilitate government procurement.
ITC
The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) provides the necessary financial support and catalyzing market forces to ensure the growth solar as an emerging technology. The ITC was extended on Oct. 3, 2008, in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
This package includes an 8-year extension of the commercial and residential solar investment tax credit. This bill also completely eliminates the monetary cap for residential solar electric installations and provides AMT relief.
Key Benefits of Solar Technology
- Energy security: Solar energy is a reliable domestic source of energy and is much less vulnerable to supply disruptions from foreign actions, natural disasters or grid instability.
- Peak Energy: Solar energy can supplement or replace gas generation during peak hours (9 am - 6 pm).
- Job creation: Solar systems require high-tech manufacturing facilities and produce well paying, high-quality jobs.
- Clean energy: Solar energy is the cleanest of all renewable energy sources, producing electric and thermal energy with zero emissions and no waste products or other forms of pollution.
- Economic benefits: Solar energy provides stable energy prices.
SEIA works with Congress, the Administration, and coalition partners to aggressively advocate for public policies that benefit every sector of the solar industry, from major manufacturers to small independently owned installers.
For more information please refer to our list of federal or state issues.
