Cody CooperCommunity solar advocacy is gaining a larger national platform as the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) combine operations. The organizations announced on September 16, 2026, that their boards approved the move, which will bring CCSA’s staff, resources and policy work into SEIA in early October 2026.
The combination brings CCSA’s specialized work in community solar, distributed generation and energy storage into the country’s largest solar and storage trade association. It also expands SEIA’s representation across residential, commercial, utility-scale and community solar markets.
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Community solar advocacy moves under SEIA
Community solar allows multiple electricity customers to receive benefits from a shared solar project instead of installing panels on their own properties. The model can expand access for renters, low- and moderate-income households, businesses and customers whose buildings are not suitable for rooftop solar.
CCSA has spent more than a decade advancing state community solar programs, addressing interconnection barriers and supporting policies for distributed solar and storage. The group represents more than 100 developers, businesses and nonprofit organizations working across distributed energy markets.
Integrating that work into SEIA gives community solar companies access to a larger federal and state policy organization. In turn, SEIA gains additional expertise in distributed energy markets as electricity affordability, local reliability and grid planning become more prominent policy issues.
“By bringing CCSA into SEIA, we’re creating a stronger, more unified voice for the solar and storage industry,” SEIA CEO Tim Pawlenty said. “Together, we’ll build on CCSA’s success and become a more powerful advocate for every segment of the industry.”
CCSA CEO Jeff Cramer will depart as part of the transition. He said the organization was created to expand solar access and that joining SEIA would provide greater scale, resources and expertise as distributed energy becomes more important to affordability and grid reliability.
What the combination means for the solar industry
SEIA, founded in 1974, represents companies across the U.S. solar and storage supply chain. Its work covers federal and state policy, market development, manufacturing, regulation and deployment across residential, commercial and utility-scale segments.
The combined organization says it will be the only national trade association representing every major segment of the solar and storage industry. That wider base could give community solar advocacy more influence in discussions about interconnection, permitting, procurement, financing and electricity market rules.
The integration also reflects a broader effort to coordinate policy priorities across solar market segments. Readers can follow related policy and market updates in Sunhub’s Latest News coverage.
U.S. community solar market passes 10 GW
The organizational change arrives after cumulative U.S. community solar installations surpassed 10 GWdc at the end of 2025, according to research produced by Wood Mackenzie with CCSA. Approximately 1.44 GW of community solar capacity was installed during 2025.
The market still faces near-term challenges. Annual installations fell 25% in 2025 as established markets including New York and Maine slowed. The base-case forecast expects existing state community solar markets to contract by an average of about 5% annually through 2030, although policy changes and new project models could alter that path.
Developers are increasingly considering projects that go beyond traditional subscription-based community solar. Broader distributed and community-scale systems can serve local electricity demand, pair generation with energy storage and reduce pressure on transmission infrastructure.
Distributed solar and storage opportunities
CCSA-backed research released in August estimated that California investor-owned utility territories have technical potential for more than 17.5 GW of distribution-connected solar and storage. The systems studied could serve local demand during summer peak periods without exporting electricity onto the higher-voltage transmission network.
The figure measures technical potential, not a prediction of how much capacity will be built. Even so, it illustrates why community solar advocacy increasingly overlaps with grid reliability, local capacity planning and storage policy.
Bringing CCSA into SEIA consolidates this distributed energy work with the association’s existing advocacy for rooftop solar, large-scale projects, domestic manufacturing and energy storage. The organizations expect the integration to take effect in early October, creating a single national platform for community solar advocacy alongside the rest of the solar and storage industry.
Daniyal Ahmed
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