Advocacy groups push for solar above all government-owned canals
Washington, D.C.

More than 125 groups are urging the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to deploy solar power above the nearly 8,000 miles of canals owned and operated by the federal government. The groups say this effort would both generate clean power and reduce evaporative water loss due to climate change-induced droughts.

FERC interconnection reforms aim to increase efficiency, prevent energy source discrimination
Washington, D.C.

FERC released a final ruling on new electrical grid interconnection reforms meant to clear the backlog and prevent discrimination against certain energy sources. SEIA said the new rules will make it easier to add energy storage to projects that are already in the interconnection queue, an attractive proposition thanks to new IRA storage incentives.

Biden Administration proposes new rules for solar permitting on federal lands
Washington, D.C. 

The White House Council on Environmental Quality released a proposed rule that would accelerate environmental reviews and permitting in the interest of deploying more renewable energy on federal lands. The rule also aims to encourage early community engagement with new projects.

More states prioritized energy equity in solar rate design in Q2 2023
The United States

The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center found in its latest state solar policy report that more state policymakers than ever are addressing equity issues through distributed solar programs and rate design. The report also found a large number of states developed new iterations of their community solar programs in Q2 2023.

Michigan’s largest utility agrees to raise distributed generation cap by 5%
Detroit, Michigan

Michigan utility DTE Energy reached an agreement with clean energy organizations including Vote Solar to raise its distributed generation cap from 1 to 6%. The plan was approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission on July 26 and could bring an additional 3.8 GW of clean energy to the grid by 2030.

California Energy Commission approves new statewide VPP program
Sacramento, California

The California Energy Commission approved a new statewide virtual power plant program to help boost the grid in times of high energy need. Homeowners and businesses with storage systems could opt-in to the program for a financial incentive, which has not yet been determined.