6 Months into 2024, Right here Are the 12 months’s Largest State Coverage Wins for Photo voltaic & Storage in USA

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Because the photo voltaic and storage trade leads the transition to a clear vitality future, a lot of the work of decarbonizing our economic system relies on state and native motion. That’s the reason specialists from the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) are working in states throughout the nation to determine supportive coverage frameworks that enable photo voltaic to compete within the market and provide cost-competitive, dependable vitality to customers. SEIA works carefully with a big selection of companions and stakeholders to drive consensus and advance robust clear vitality insurance policies.

With 2024 midway accomplished, listed below are a number of the yr’s most essential state coverage wins for the photo voltaic and storage trade.

Maryland

In Could, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the landmark Brighter Tomorrow Act into regulation. This bipartisan laws will develop photo voltaic entry to low- and moderate-income Marylanders, facilitate the adoption of automated digital photo voltaic allowing for counties and municipalities, and put money into native photo voltaic deployment.

SEIA collaborated with its regional affiliate Chesapeake Vitality Storage & Photo voltaic Affiliation (CHESSA), environmental advocates, group organizations, and lawmakers to safe this win.

Virginia

Simply over the Potomac River, Virginia handed a slate of bipartisan payments that can make photo voltaic extra accessible.

The primary invoice, Home Invoice 1062/Senate Invoice 271, strengthens vitality alternative for purchasers by permitting rooftop photo voltaic leasing with a third-party. Photo voltaic financing choices like third-party leasing might help to scale back upfront prices, making photo voltaic extra attainable.

Virginia can also be strengthening “Shared Photo voltaic” — the Commonwealth’s model of group photo voltaic. Home Invoice 106/Senate Invoice 253 expands Dominion Vitality’s present program from 200 megawatts (MW) to 350 MW. As well as, Home Invoice108/Senate Invoice 255 requires the State Company Fee to determine a framework for group photo voltaic in Appalachian Energy Firm’s service space. Southwest Virginia has one of many highest vitality burdens within the nation, making photo voltaic extra accessible to Virginians that want it most.

Just like its work in Maryland, SEIA labored carefully with CHESSA and a coalition of companions to move these payments.

Colorado

This yr, Colorado handed bipartisan laws that ought to set a nationwide instance for how one can modernize the grid. Senate Invoice 24-218 supplies vital assets for utilities, decreases interconnection wait occasions, and creates new alternatives for photo voltaic and storage improvement.

SEIA and the Colorado Photo voltaic and Storage Affiliation labored with many stakeholders, together with utilities, organized labor, environmental advocacy organizations, and the Colorado Vitality Workplace, to move this invoice.

State leaders additionally voted to revitalize the state’s group photo voltaic program by means of the bipartisan Senate Invoice 24-207. In 2010, Colorado grew to become the primary state to move a group photo voltaic program, however capability limits and outdated insurance policies have led to only one% of eligible prospects collaborating. The brand new regulation — designed to enhance fairness and capitalize on obtainable federal incentives — reserves 51% of every group photo voltaic undertaking’s capability for income-qualified residential subscribers. It additionally improves accessibility by eradicating outdated boundaries to photo voltaic like credit score rating necessities.

Massachusetts 

The Massachusetts Home of Representatives handed laws to speed up photo voltaic deployment and tackle longstanding challenges hampering the native photo voltaic market.

SEIA advocated for a lot of provisions in Home Invoice 4876, together with deadlines for allowing choices, a streamlined appeals course of for difficult allow denials, and a extra predictable interconnection course of that can present enterprise certainty. The invoice additionally requires the procurement of 5 gigawatt-hours of vitality storage.

The invoice now goes to convention, the place members of each chambers will work to finalize a compromise invoice. SEIA will proceed to work with legislators to finalize the invoice language and shortly get it to Governor Healey for signature.

SEIA’s state advocacy work is much from over. Photo voltaic vitality will proceed to be a sizzling subject in states across the nation, and when debates affecting the trade come up, SEIA shall be there to make sure the trade speaks with a unified voice.

SEIA will proceed to advocate in state legislatures throughout the nation for allowing and siting reforms, grid modernization, and fairness initiatives. SEIA seems ahead to securing extra state coverage wins within the second half of 2024 and making certain the photo voltaic and storage trade continues to be a robust financial engine and a supply of dependable and reasonably priced vitality for all Individuals.

Courtesy of SEIA.