A Bigger Voice for Distributed Solar & Storage

Trade association news doesn’t usually make its way onto this blog. But the announcement that the Coalition for Community Solar Access will become part of the Solar Energy Industries Association deserves a few words.

At Enterprise Energy, much of our work depends on getting community solar and battery storage policy right. That can mean some pretty unglamorous things: how a program is administered, who can participate, or how long a project waits for permission to connect to the grid. Those details determine whether a good idea becomes something we can actually build.

CCSA has given that work a strong voice nationally. Jeff Cramer and his team deserve a lot of credit for helping community solar grow and for making the case that people should be able to benefit from solar even if they rent, have a shaded roof, or can’t afford panels of their own.

The next chapter needs to carry that same ambition into distributed battery storage.

These are batteries located closer to where electricity is used, connected to the local distribution grid, either alongside solar or on their own. They can store energy for the hours when it’s needed most and help relieve pressure on the grid. For developers like us, they open up more ways to put local sites to work serving local energy needs.

But we have to get the rules right. Who gets to build and own these systems? How are they compensated for the services they provide? Is there a fair opportunity for independent developers to compete? The answers will have a lot to do with how much gets built and who benefits.

That’s why I’m interested in what this combination can accomplish. Bringing CCSA’s experience into SEIA gives community solar and distributed storage a larger platform, with more resources behind the work.

There’s also a familiar Minnesota connection in the leadership. Former Governor Tim Pawlenty is leading SEIA as president and CEO, and Logan O’Grady, who served for years as MnSEIA’s executive director, brings a close understanding of the issues facing companies like ours. We look forward to Logan’s leadership of the new distributed generation group and to working with him in this next role.

I want to see community solar and distributed batteries have a strong, lasting voice within the broader organization. Developing these projects means working through the details with landowners, local officials, utilities, lenders, and customers. Having advocates who understand those conversations makes a difference.

I’m grateful for what the CCSA team has helped build, and optimistic about what comes next under Tim and Logan’s leadership. There is plenty of work ahead. For us, success will mean more projects getting built, more communities participating, and more savings showing up on people’s electric bills.