First issue new institute will tackle is land use

Saying the window for action on climate change is closing, the Solar Energy Industries Association has formed a nonprofit to accelerate the adoption of solar energy and energy storage.

The Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2) is a 501(c)3 group that will serve as SEIA's charitable and educational arm. It will use "research, public education initiatives and policymaker engagement to remove barriers to clean energy deployment," the association said in a statement.

"We largely have the technologies we need to address the climate crisis, but several barriers remain to widespread adoption of solar and storage," SEIA CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said. "The window for climate action is narrowing quickly, and we must double down on the clean energy research and analysis needed to dismantle systemic challenges that are holding back the solar and storage industry."

David Gahl, SEIA's current senior director of state policy, East, will serve as the institute's first executive director.

"SI2 offers the solar and storage industry a special opportunity to harness its creativity and use innovative thinking to chart a new path to a carbon-free future and an equitable clean energy economy," Gahl said.

The first challenge SI2 will tackle is land use, the association said. Large-scale solar projects require a lot of land, which raises concerns about environmental impacts. The institute will create best practices for solar companies looking to develop large-scale projects.

SI2 will work closely with SEIA and "lean on" association staff and resources while it establishes itself, according to SEIA. As the organization grows and secures additional funding sources, SI2 will build its team and announce additional priorities and initiatives.