Solar Industry Trade Groups Merged for Policy Advocacy
The SEIA and CCSA united their memberships to navigate federal and state energy policy challenges.
Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Energy
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The Solar Energy Industries Association and the Coalition for Community Solar Access have completed a merger approved by their respective boards and memberships. This integration establishes a new Distributed Power working group designed to unify industry advocacy efforts across the United States.
Why it matters
The merger aims to consolidate the solar sector's influence in response to a volatile regulatory environment where 80% of proposed energy projects withdrew from grid interconnection queues in 2024. A unified voice is intended to help the industry navigate complex policy landscapes as the community solar sector matures.
The community solar sector has scaled from a 150MW base to over 10GW of capacity over the last decade. This growth occurred alongside significant grid integration challenges, highlighted by the 80% of energy projects that withdrew from U.S. interconnection queues during 2024.
The players
Solar Energy Industries Association
The national trade association for the U.S. solar industry that represents over 1,000 member companies.
Coalition for Community Solar Access
A national coalition of businesses and nonprofits dedicated to expanding community solar access through policy advocacy.
Gavin Newsom
The Governor of California who recently acted on solar-related legislation, including a veto of AB 1813.
The details
The two trade associations combined their advocacy resources to create a singular, stronger front for solar energy interests. A newly established Distributed Power working group will focus specifically on community solar policy management to bridge the gap between technical infrastructure needs and legislative requirements. This move follows state-level activity in California, where Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed AB 1813 and signed separate legislation regarding balcony solar deployments.
Timeline
2024: 80% of energy projects withdrew from grid interconnection queues.
September 2026: California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 1813.
October 13-14, 2026: PV CellTech USA conference held in San Francisco.
The Tech Race
The merger represents an effort to stabilize industry growth following the 2024 grid interconnection queue crisis where 80% of projects were abandoned. This consolidation positions the new organization to better navigate the policy obstacles demonstrated by recent state-level vetoes in California.
While the merger is an organizational shift for the industry, it is designed to impact the speed and ease of future solar project deployments. Readers should watch for updates from the upcoming PV CellTech USA conference regarding how these new advocacy priorities may affect state-level solar permitting and grid access.
The takeaway
The industry is consolidating its lobbying power to address the high rate of grid queue attrition that hindered projects throughout 2024. Stakeholders should monitor the October 13-14, 2026, PV CellTech USA conference for details on the newly formed Distributed Power working group's initial policy agenda.
What happens next
The U.S. policy landscape will be formally assessed by industry experts at the PV CellTech USA conference scheduled for October 13-14, 2026.
Further reading
For broader context on current industry shifts, see the latest developments in Energy.
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