Coalition hopes to erase borders for solar industry

Karl R. RÃ¡bago, executive director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center, remembers having discussions with colleagues about a year ago on the Northeast solar market being “disparate” and “inefficient.” Shortly after, he formed a group to better connect the solar communities in different states.

In January, the group, Northeast Solar Energy Market Coalition, was approved and awarded a $600,000 cooperative agreement for three years from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The coalition combines nine state solar industry associations and representatives from Pennsylvania to Maine, including SolarConnecticut and the New York Solar Energy Industry Association, and two participating universities, Pace University and the State University of New York at Albany.

The coalition”™s plan, said RÃ¡bago, who is co-leading the program, is to “be the voice for solar in the Northeast” by learning the market landscape, identifying best practices and communicating with regulators, stakeholders and other Northeast associations.

“The state-by-state (market) is already well-established and well served by state groups,” RÃ¡bago said. “But it ends up with the political borders being the business borders and that”™s a limit to growth and it”™s a limit to efficiency.”