Arkansas Group Joins National Solar Trade Association, Strengthening Solar Advocacy in the Southeast

WASHINGTON, D.C. and LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association for the U.S. solar energy industry, announced today that the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) is now an official SEIA state affiliate.

AAEA becomes the 19th SEIA affiliate and builds on a growing network of solar advocacy groups in the Southeast region. These formal partnerships help to connect regional groups to additional resources and the national effort to promote solar growth in markets around the country.

“The Southeast is becoming a hotbed for solar development, and we are thrilled to work with the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association to build a more robust market in Arkansas that competes with other states in the region,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Partnerships like this one are critical for us to reach our bold goals as an industry, and together we’ll work on policy solutions that move us toward those goals, strengthen the economy and create well-paying jobs for workers in Arkansas.”

Arkansas ranks 33rd nationally with over 238 megawatts (MW) of installed solar electric generating capacity and is poised to add over 700 MW of new capacity over the next five years.

“AAEA is thrilled to join SEIA as a state affiliate. The benefits of solar energy in Arkansas cannot be understated, and opportunities abound across the state,” said AAEA Executive Director, Stephanie Osborne. “Joining SEIA reaffirms the AAEA’s commitment to supporting advanced energy businesses at the local, state and federal level. We look forward to collaborating with SEIA and seeing what our joint efforts can bring.”

SEIA has developed strategic partnerships with numerous state and regional advocacy non-profits, known as SEIA Affiliates. These organizations have demonstrated leadership on policy and regulatory matters, actively engaged with the solar industry in their respective territories and offered grassroots support for SEIA’s federal campaigns, among other accomplishments. We are proud to call them our partners in growing the U.S. solar industry.

To see a map of the current SEIA affiliates across the country, visit www.seia.org/affiliates.

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About SEIA®: 

The Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA) is leading the transformation to a clean energy economy, creating the framework for solar to achieve 20% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies and other strategic partners to fight for policies that create jobs in every community and shape fair market rules that promote competition and the growth of reliable, low-cost solar power. Founded in 1974, SEIA is a national trade association building a comprehensive vision for the Solar+ Decade through research, education and advocacy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.

About AAEA:

The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) is the business voice for advanced energy in Arkansas. AAEA is dedicated to growing Arkansas’s economy and workforce through expanded utilization of advanced energy technologies, including energy efficiency, demand response, natural gas electric generation, solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and smart grid. These are innovations that make our energy supply more secure, clean and affordable. For more information visit ArkansasAdvancedEnergy.com 

Media Contact: 

Morgan Lyons, SEIA’s Senior Communications Manager, mlyons@seia.org (202) 556-2872