By all accounts, we’ve witnessed the best of multi-stakeholder collaboration when it comes to developing long-term strategies that promote clean energy adoption. The COP21 agreement and bipartisan extension of the U.S. Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar and wind energy are two recent examples.

On the state level, nowhere is this collaboration more visible than the Solar Progress Partnership, a recently-announced initiative between New York state-based electric utilities and solar companies.

The Partnership is recommending a structure to the State Public Service Commission that meets the market demand for solar, protects customer utility bill savings and ensures that utilities have the resources necessary to maintain the existing grid, among other provisions. Full details are available here.

As we’ve covered on this blog, states across the country are assessing how best to move forward with solar net metering programs, which provide for excess solar electricity to be delivered back to the utility grid at favorable rates. Although different states have different approaches, net metering can make solar more affordable to customers while simplifying the process of managing energy flow to and from the grid.

Stated simply, energy is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. While we’re in the midst of a transformative period of energy delivery and consumption, the global transition to cleaner sources will require innovative thinking and experimentation. We must continue to work together and bring all parties to the table to help accelerate broader grid transformation, ensure cost parity and reduce remaining barriers at a time when consumers and businesses are embracing solar.

At the end of the day, while it’s critical that all stakeholders be involved in setting a forward-looking agenda, we must ensure that the customer is front and center in any public policy decisions related to solar adoption.

Although Henry Ford revolutionized transportation as we know it, the cars we drive and the roads we drive on are the result of extensive innovation by multiple stakeholders. For solar, we’re undoubtedly beyond our Model T moment. Only by working together, and with consumer interests to navigate us, will we get where we need to go.

Related Posts

• How Solar Net Energy Metering Works
• Solar Tax Credits Incentives