Leaders, activists petition utility commission for grid reform

Harrisburg, Pa. — Concerned about the state’s energy grid, a group of over 100 Pa. business, environmental, and civic leaders sent a joint letter to the Pa. Public Utility Commission (PUC), asking for changes.

The letter recommends undertaking interconnection reforms, which they consider to be long overdue. Specifically, the letter focuses obstacles to reducing Pa.’s reliance on fossil fuels and turning to resources such as solar, wind, and battery storage while encouraging energy efficiency when possible.

According to the letter, plans to implement sustainable energy sources are being hindered by current interconnection procedures, which must be undertaken to receive approval to connect to the power grid.

According to the letter, “In the absence of meaningful interconnection reforms, significant damage has already been done. With federal Investment Tax Credits expiring soon, viable solar projects across Pennsylvania face cancellation. As regional interconnection delays persist, our state’s ability to facilitate distributed energy resources becomes increasingly critical.” In addition, the letter claims, utilities are “slow-walking local interconnection requests. Local solar projects face opaque approval processes without clear timelines or consistent standards. These delays result from inadequate utility-managed interconnection procedures that the PUC has the authority to fix.”

Signers of the letter include Vote Solar, the PA Solar Center, Mid-Atlantic Solar and Storage Industries Association, Reclaim Philadelphia, and POWER Interfaith.

“Across Pennsylvania, opaque and confusing utility interconnection procedures are a major reason why we don’t have more local clean energy projects coming online,” said Kartik Amarnath, Mid-Atlantic regulatory director of Vote Solar. “As projects languish in interconnection queues, Pennsylvania risks undermining its clean energy future without swift implementation of clear and consistent interconnection guidelines that can speed local solar projects and keep clean energy accessible and affordable for all Pennsylvanians.”

“Pennsylvania’s solar industry, which employs about 7,000 people, has already been hit hard this year by the looming expiration of the solar tax credit,” added Sharon Pillar, founder and executive director of the PA Solar Center. “If the PUC were to fix these interconnection issues, they would be extending a lifeline to solar companies when they need it most – while also helping to lower energy bills for all Pennsylvania energy consumers, regardless of whether they are solar consumers or not.”

The full letter is available to read here.