The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a comprehensive policy agenda aimed at improving the reliability and security of the United States’ electric grid through the expanded use of solar power and energy storage technologies. This new blueprint outlines the critical actions that local, state, and federal leaders must take to ensure the nation’s energy infrastructure can meet rapidly increasing electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, and emerging industries.
As solar and storage now account for most of the new electricity capacity being added to the grid, SEIA’s plan provides a clear pathway to modernize the grid, strengthen domestic supply chains, invest in long-duration storage, and improve regulatory processes to accelerate deployment. Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO, emphasized the urgency of these actions, noting that reliable, low-cost solar and storage solutions are already vital for meeting America’s growing energy needs.
She warned that without commonsense policies to strengthen the grid, the United States risks higher electricity prices, lost jobs, and reduced competitiveness in areas like AI innovation. Hopper called on policymakers at every level to adopt measures that will expand solar and storage capacity, stabilize the grid, and keep power affordable for families. The policy agenda identifies several priority areas, including supporting the development of domestic supply chains and traceability standards for solar and storage components, creating fast-track regulatory processes for projects near high-demand areas like AI hubs and data centers, and reforming interconnection procedures to reduce costly delays.
It also calls for modernizing transmission infrastructure to increase the grid’s capacity, investing in research and deployment strategies for long-duration energy storage, reforming wholesale market rules to properly value solar and storage contributions, and updating state utility resource planning to recognize these technologies as reliable capacity resources. Additionally, SEIA urges greater support for Distributed Energy Resource (DER) programs and unlocking virtual power plants to enhance both local and national grid reliability.
To build momentum for these proposals, SEIA launched a grassroots advocacy campaign in July to mobilize Americans and encourage state officials to adopt policies that prioritize clean energy investments for grid security. Over the coming months, SEIA and its members plan to actively promote the policy agenda in state legislatures and in Washington, D.C., highlighting how solar and storage can play a central role in meeting the nation’s future energy demand while maintaining affordable electricity prices and advancing U.S. leadership in innovation.
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