SEIA Solar Blog
Through our blog, SEIA staff aim to informing policymakers, the media, and the American public about the benefits of solar energy for today’s economy. Scroll down for a running feed of our blog posts. For a complete archive of press releases, blogs and other news articles, click here.
Integrating The Western Grid Can Help Power the State with California Solar
As more solar is installed in California, the state continues to hit new records for solar energy production. On March 11th, California's solar power supplied more than half of the state's electricity. Expect these records to continue. We’ll need them.In a little more than a decade, renewables will need to account for more than 50% of electricity for the entire year to meet our renewable energy and climate goals. Last year large solar plants and rooftop solar together produced about 13% of the state’s energy.
Aligning the Stars: Bringing Solar Professionals Together to Improve the National Electrical Code
Deploying solar - particularly residential, commercial and industrial systems - means having to comply with the requirements in the National Electrical Code (NEC), NFPA 70.
Massachusetts Should Raise its Net Energy Metering Caps
Massachusetts is at a crossroads. To keep the state’s solar market moving, the Massachusetts State Legislature must raise the state’s net energy metering caps before the year is out.
SEIA Responds to Suniva's Section 201 Filing
Yesterday, Suniva, Inc., a Georgia-based manufacturer of crystalline silicon cells and modules, filed a petition with the International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 201 of the Trade Act seeking relief from “foreign manufactured crystalline silicon photovoltaic ("CSPV") cells and modules.”
Sunrun Expansion into Badger State a Harbinger for Midwest Solar
SEIA congratulates Sunrun on its announcement this week that it is expanding operations to the Badger State of Wisconsin. The company will open an office in Waukesha and plans to add more than 50 jobs in Wisconsin within its first year in the state, according to Sunrun spokeswoman Amy Heart.
College Students Spend Spring Break Installing Solar on Low-Income Housing
GRID Alternatives’ Solar Spring Break gives college students a chance to spend their off-week installing solar on low-income housing around the country. Last week, the program came to Washington, DC. While their friends spent the break relaxing on the beach, a dozen students from the University of North Carolina were installing solar in Southeast DC.
Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Site and Surrounding Region a Model for Solar Success
Last week First Solar held a commissioning event on a 250 Megawatt solar facility on the Moapa River Indian Reservation. This is the first utility scale solar project on Tribal lands.Morgan Stanley put together this cool video on the project as part of their series on sustainable solutions called “Capital Creates Change” and we wanted to share it with you. It highlights the economic opportunity, the jobs and the clean power that utility scale developers are bringing to Indian Country and to Southern Nevada.
Getting TOU Rates Right: PG&E Edition
Today SEIA filed testimony in Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) current rate case. This is an opening salvo in a proceeding likely to stretch into 2018. SEIA’s case builds on our efforts to get time-of-use (TOU) periods right, protect the investments of existing solar customers and create new rate options.
Renewable Energy Coalition Calls for New Hampshire Compromise
A group of New Hampshire renewable energy advocates have proposed a compromise that offers a path forward for the state to begin driving down energy costs for consumers and making New Hampshire less dependent on out of state energy.