The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Solar Alliance have merged, whereby Solar Alliance will now operate under the SEIA brand. The organizations acknowledge that the move is a way to better advocate the establishments of solar policies at the state level. As part of the merger, Carrie Cullen Hitt, president of the Solar Alliance, is now vice president for State Affairs at SEIA. The Solar Alliance team will join Hitt as part of SEIA’s new department for State Affairs.
“The solar energy industry is expanding and it is critical for SEIA to mirror this growth and put our resources and expertise into developing state policy that expand markets for solar energy,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. “Adding Carrie Cullen Hitt and her top-notch staff to the SEIA team is a critical step as we continue to scale the US market and move toward our goal of installing 10GW of solar annually by 2015.”
“We have tremendous opportunities for opening markets for solar across all regions,” said Hitt. “With the Solar Alliance now a part of SEIA, we have the unified voice that is necessary on the policy front both in Washington and in the states to really take the US solar industry to the next level.”
SEIA also advised that it has additionally founded a more formal, collaborative relationship with almost a dozen state and regional SEIA chapter to coordinate its advocacy efforts. The state and regional chapters will remain wholly independent organizations, but the partnership will ensure that more resources and coordination between the organizations, which will ultimately align with SEIA’s policy goals in the states.
