Topics - Consumer Protection

Solar Permitting Tool Hits the Market to Boost Rooftop Solar Installations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As America passes three million solar installations, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is formally launching SolarAPP+ to help state and local governments to streamline and automate rooftop solar permits. After 40 years of growth, America reached 1 million solar installations in 2016, 2 million in 2019, and 3 million in 2021. With the help of SolarAPP+, the U.S. will double its solar installations to 6 million by 2026.

Texas Governor Signs Series of Pro Solar Bills into Law

AUSTIN, TX and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Earlier this week Texas Governor Abbott signed a series of bills into law that will benefit the Texas solar industry, including SB 398, SB 63, and SB 760. These bills will help to clarify rules around decommissioning solar sites and strengthen consumer protection.

Solar Market Insight Report 2021 Q2

The quarterly SEIA/Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables U.S. Solar Market InsightTM report shows the major trends in the U.S. solar industry. Learn more about the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report. Released June 15, 2021.

Solar Leases in South Carolina Get Property Tax Exemption

COLUMBIA, SC and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, South Carolina’s state legislature passed H. 3354, which exempts leased and third party owned residential solar systems from property taxes. This exemption is already in place for solar customers that own their systems. The new legislation puts all solar customers on equal footing when it comes to tax treatment. H. 3354 prevents solar customers from getting double taxed and will help to support South Carolina’s growing rooftop solar market.

National Solar Jobs Census 2020

Since 2010, the National Solar Jobs Census has been the definitive measure of solar energy industry employment in the United States, charting the growth of the solar workforce alongside the rise of solar energy as a major contributor to the U.S. energy supply and economy as a whole.

The Solar Industry’s Commitment to an Ethical Supply Chain: New Tools & Resources

Building on the industry’s work to promote corporate social responsibility, SEIA is releasing three key resources:

Solar Equipment Buyers' Guide for Supply Chain Traceability

The SEIA Traceability Protocol (Protocol) lays out a series of steps that a manufacturer can take to track the origin of material inputs through specified stage(s) of production, processing, and distribution, e.g., the factory location and production date of polysilicon used in a finished solar module. The Protocol aims at helping capture and making transparently available to stakeholders which companies and facilities participated in the manufacturing of renewable energy products on the market.

Solar Industry Commitment to Environmental & Social Responsibility

One of SEIA’s top priorities is to help ensure a sustainable and ethical solar supply chain. In support of this mission, SEIA is taking proactive steps to promote environmental and social responsibility within the industry.

Building Back Better with a Clean Energy Economy

NREL Solar TRACE and SolarAPP+ Roundtable

SEIA and NREL hosted a demonstration and roundtable discussion featuring the newly launched Solar TRACE and SolarAPP+. Solar TRACE will strengthen the ability for jurisdictions and utilities to identify opportunities to improve their permitting, inspection and interconnection (PII) cycle-time, accelerating realization of shorter cycle-times with the adoption of Solar APP+.