Come Together to Stay Strong

The solar industry is facing its greatest threat to date. So, the time couldn’t be more perfect to gather and recommit to what protects our vitality in the market.

Unquestionably, the recent ruling from the International Trade Commission that imported solar modules have caused injury to domestic manufacturers could end up imposing a painful new burden on our thriving market. A forty-cent increase in the cost of modules, for example, would erase the gains made in recent years by increasing the cost of utility-scale solar by about 25%, C&I market 20%, and residential market 15%.

But no tariffs are in place yet, and time remains to mitigate the harm that this misguided action could have on our state, cities, industry, and thousands of working family jobs and welfare. In short, we can hope for the best but we should prepare for the worst.  

Georgia Solar’s 9^th Annual Southern Solar Summit will feature the observations and recommendations of Tom Kimbis, Vice President and General Counsel for the Solar Energy Industries Association. He has been at the forefront of our resistance to tariffs and he will offer his unique insights on where we are and what we can do.

But more than that, our summit gives us the opportunity to draw together as solar professionals, reflect upon the strides we have made, discuss ways we can preserve market growth and drive innovation that no government edict can thwart.

Statement from the Georgia Solar Energy Association Chair Don Moreland on the International Trade Commission’s ruling in the Suniva Trade Case:

   “The thriving solar industry is sure to suffer the loss of as many as 2,000 good, local jobs in Georgia and more than 88,000 nationwide if tariffs are imposed on imported panels as a result of this decision. This will be far more damaging to a growing economic sector of the state’s economy than the jobs lost in Suniva’s bankruptcy. At a time when citizens, elected officials and utilities in Georgia demand more clean energy solutions, this decision will potentially disrupt established supply chains and erase years of progress that has made solar power the cost-effective clean energy solution it is today. We at GA Solar will continue to fight against tariffs this decision may bring. We hope that state leaders, including Sen. Johnny Isakson, Sen. David Perdue and our Georgia congressmen, will join us in urging President Donald Trump not to adopt tariffs that will throttle a growing domestic industry and the jobs it has created.

   “We are grateful to the solar professionals from our state - James Marlow, Russell Seifert, Kenny Hughes, Pete Marte and John Huffington - who traveled to Washington to convey all the relevant facts of the impact of tariffs on the U.S. solar industry to our state’s congressional delegation. We are especially grateful to Georgia PSC Commissioner Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, who provided important testimony to the ITC in this case about the damage tariffs will inflict on the solar industry.”

  For more information and contact information, visit www.gasolar.org.

Message from the Chair - 8/21/2017

A Period of Uncertainty

   Back in November, solar professionals realized we were in for a period of uncertainty. What we didn’t expect was that the greatest threat would rise from within our own industry.

   On August 15, the International Trade Commission (ITC) heard testimony on a petition filed by bankrupt Georgia panel manufacturer Suniva asking the commission to recommend the imposition of steep tariffs on all panels imported to the U.S. The tariffs would roughly double the cost of panels to the U.S. solar industry.

   The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has been joined in opposition to this request for tariffs by a wide range of political and financial interests. All of these pro-solar allies, including the conservative Heritage Foundation, want to protect the more than 250,000 solar jobs and billions of dollars in solar investment that are threatened by this petition.

   Here in Georgia, as many as 2,000 solar jobs statewide could be in jeopardy if tariffs are imposed on imported solar panels.

   In many states, such as North Carolina, Senators and Congressional Representatives are showing their unequivocal bipartisan opposition to tariffs in letters sent to the ITC. Georgia’s Senators and Congressional Representatives need to hear from solar companies, workers and supporters in their districts that you want them to support Georgia’s solar industry and join in that opposition.

GA Solar is dedicated to promoting the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy through education, advocacy and industry support. So, when a trade case, even when initiated by one of our own, threatens to jeopardize the economic viability of the Georgia solar industry and the 4,000+ men and women it supports, we are compelled to act and act decisively. That’s exactly what we are doing now to prevent the potentially devastating effect of trade sanctions on imported solar equipment.

The response has been nothing short of amazing! With a unified voice, GA Solar came together with GaSEIA, SEIA, and a delegation of local industry professionals to send a message, loud and clear, to our elected officials that Georgia’s solar industry is thriving and is much, much more than a single panel manufacturer. More than 150 members of GA Solar joined this effort by signing an open letter to Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Johnny Isakson. GA Solar Co-Vice Chair Russell Seifert travelled to Washington with a delegation of solar professionals from Georgia to deliver the letter personally.

You have made your voice heard and shown your support for the Georgia solar industry. Thank you to everyone who took part in this effort! We will continue to fight the good fight and will count on your support along the way.

Click here to view our open letter

GA Solar Open Letter to Senators Isakson and Perdue
Suniva / Solarworld 201 Case

NEW SOLAR BILL AIMS TO REMOVE BARRIERS TO WIDER SOLAR ADOPTION

With Georgia’s solar market ranked 4^th in the U.S. and job growth up 23% in 2016, solar is on the move in Georgia. Now a new solar bill (HB 431) aims to remove barriers to rooftop solar, protect consumers, and unlock the free-market potential of solar promising continued growth for years to come.

GaSEIA is pleased Representative Buzz Brockway introduced HB 431, which ensures customers’ right to manage their electric bills with onsite solar and ensure that solar customers are not subject to extreme and unjustifiable costs.

HB 431 will improve the outlook for distributed generation (rooftop) solar, create thousands of jobs, protect consumers, promote economic development, and increase Georgia's energy security.

HB 431 makes commercial system size limits more reasonable in light of economic and technological changes since the Co- Gen Act was passed in 2001.
 
Importantly, the legislation does not preclude utility fees but provides that customers have notice before fees are imposed and that such fees are not just and reasonable.  This is important because customers need more transparency to make informed decisions about whether or not to install solar.
 
This legislation follows a special subcommittee hearing and report of the House Energy Committee in the fall of 2016.

Click Here to View the HB 431 Legislation

Georgia Energy Data and Clean Energy Industry Census Manager Wins
The Georgia Solar Energy Association’s 2016 Solar Advocate Award

The Georgia Solar Energy Association awarded its 2016 Solar Advocate Award to Shan Arora, program manager for Southface, at its annual holiday celebration on Thursday, December 15.

   Arora created and manages georgiaenergydata.org, an interactive map and database that provide both aggregate and detailed information on Georgia’s growing solar portfolio. He also conducts and analyzes the annual Clean Jobs Census that shows the growth and economic contribution of Georgia’s solar industry.

   In a video debuted as part of the awards presentation, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7SepJOKpbw, Georgia PSC Commissioner Tim Echols praised Arora for giving policymakers reliable information on the positive impact of policy decisions that encourage solar investment throughout the state. 

Click here to view the full video