In the August 2025 issue of PVTech, EquinoxDG principal Vaughan Woodruff laid out the case for solar and energy storage companies to pay attention to interconnection policy amidst shifting federal priorities:
With the burden of responding to very real and impactful market pressures, it may be difficult for individual solar companies to ramp up their activity in legislative and regulatory arenas where they may not see direct and immediate economic benefit. Even in good times, most of the companies engaging in interconnection reform do so with a specific project in mind. Durable interconnection reform requires a broader approach, one that may seem a significant luxury during lean times.
Yet, interconnection strategy and regulatory engagement are fundamental to the success of companies that weather the impacts of the Budget Reconciliation Bill. For those committed to the long-term success of their business or their state, here are some tips for advancing interconnection reform:
- Identify the core interconnection issues facing your state. If you work in the solar industry and are experiencing specific interconnection challenges, evaluate your state’s interconnection procedures and determine whether the challenge is due to utility non-compliance with the rules or a deficiency in the rules themselves. If you are not experiencing interconnection issues and instead seek to be proactive, review your state’s scorecard from Freeing the Grid to identify where there are opportunities for improvement.
- Learn from other states. Unless you are in California or Hawai’i, there’s a strong likelihood the challenges you’re seeing have been experienced elsewhere. IREC’s Model Interconnection Procedures represent a baseline model of effective DER interconnection provisions that have been adopted in states around the country. If your state scored a “D” or “F” in Freeing the Grid, a strong goal could be to adopt or revise your state’s rules in alignment with the IREC Model. If customers are experiencing issues that aren’t addressed in the IREC model, reach out to colleagues in other states to see whether they’ve experienced similar challenges or contact IREC directly.
- Identify areas of strength. Regulatory reform requires broad expertise and benefits from collaboration. Once you’ve identified the challenges to address, identify what you can bring to the table. Are you a technical expert who can evaluate interconnection solutions from other states and how they apply in yours? Do you have expertise in the interconnection process, and what specifically needs to be improved? These insights are highly complementary to parties who want to advance local clean energy solutions and may be more familiar with the regulatory or legislative processes.
- Build alliances. Interconnection reform requires people with influential networks, people who can motivate decision makers to act, lawyers or other regulatory policy specialists who can write compelling comments in formal proceedings and practitioners who can make and dispel technical arguments. Common advocates include individual DER companies, trade associations, nonprofit groups focused on climate or clean energy issues, energy agencies in states with climate goals and IREC. You may find collaborators in places you might not expect, such as with utilities. There are often renewable energy champions working on the front lines at utilities who also want to see processes improve. Building strong relationships with utility staff can help strengthen regulatory outcomes by more specifically identifying the barriers to change and the shared benefits of streamlined interconnection procedures.
- Take the long view. In the states where interconnection reform has taken years to advance, the pathway was rarely a straight line. And even once those changes have been implemented, interconnection rules need to be updated regularly to address emerging challenges and opportunities. Engaging in these issues, either directly or through collaboration with other parties, is increasingly becoming part of doing business for those in the solar industry.
With a timeline for state regulatory reform that is often measured in years, Woodruff argues that now is the time for solar and energy storage companies with staying power to actively advance interconnection reform.
Read the full article here.
