Illinois can expect solar boom as Adjustable Block Program reopens
Chicago, Illinois

A new study found Illinois’s recently passed Climate and Equitable Jobs Act is expected to result in 250 MW of community solar in 2022 and pave the way for 5,800 MW of solar by 2030. The Adjustable Block Program with new, larger subsidies opened its waitlist in early December.

CPUC proposes highest solar fees in the nation
Sacramento, California

On Dec. 13, the California Public Utilities Commission issued its proposed decision on the successor to the state’s solar net-metering program. The solar industry is lobbying against its proposal, which includes grid access fees and lower net-billing compensation.

Senate Finance Committee adds inverters, trackers to BBB manufacturing incentive list
Washington, D.C.

The Senate Finance Committee released its draft version of the Build Back Better (BBB) Act on Dec. 11 and added domestic manufacturing incentives for inverters and trackers to the lineup. SEIA has been working to get those technologies included in the bill.

Build Back Better Act thrown into question after Manchin statement
Washington, D.C.

The BBB Act requires the support of every Democrat in the Senate to pass, but Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Dec. 19 that he cannot vote to move forward on the act. SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said that the organization still strongly believes that members of Congress will continue to press ahead.

President Biden orders 100% carbon-free electricity purchases for federal operations
Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 8, President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for 100% carbon-free electricity purchases across federal operations by 2030, with a longer-term goal of net-zero emissions from overall federal operations by 2050. The Center for Biological Diversity called the timeline weak and asked for faster action.

Biden signs Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which could further affect solar supply chain
Washington, D.C.

President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans all imports from Xinjiang, China, unless suppliers can prove the products were not made with forced labor. The ban is expected to have a “modest” effect on the solar industry since it’s estimated that half of the world’s polysilicon supply comes from the Xinjiang province.