Abigail Ross Hopper is heavily involved in promoting the sun’s power for clean energy, while shedding light on societal issues that, she said, could hinder the solar industry’s workforce growth. 

Hopper is CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) at a time when a scorching summer has heightened focus on climate change and clean energy. 

SEIA was a strong proponent of the Inflation Reduction Act, which brought a major investment in solar power, including billions in subsidies and tax credits extending into the next decade. She also has increased SEIA’s own operating budget by 70 percent in less than seven years after becoming CEO. 

A history major at Dartmouth with a law degree from the University of Maryland, Hopper held senior state positions related to energy while advising former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat. 

Hopper became SEIA’s CEO in 2017 and found herself at an organizational crossroads several years later. SEIA considered participating in the merger that formed the American Clean Power Association. There were “lots of conversations,” Hopper said, but ultimately “we agreed that our voices were stronger separately.” 

After the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, Hopper took a strong stand against the decision. She explained SEIA’s position and offered her personal insights in the interview below, which has been edited for length and clarity. 

CEO Update: SEIA will have its 50th anniversary next year. How has representing the solar industry changed in that time and during your tenure?  

Abigail Ross Hopper: In the course of a mere 50 years, it’s gone from an idea to, by 2030, 30 to 40 percent of how we fuel our economy. A pretty quick transition. 

I got here in 2017. At that point solar fueled, I’d say, maybe a little over 2 percent of the nation’s electricity generation. We’re now a little over 5 percent. More is being built than natural gas, than wind, than coal, than nuclear, literally any other source. The industry has transformed a great deal during my tenure here. 

We’ve really had a lot of challenges during the last six and a half years that I’ve been here. There have been political challenges. Different administrations have different preferences with regard to energy sources. 

CU: Is it easier in the Biden Administration than the Trump Administration? 

ARH: The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that passed the last Congress and was signed by President Biden was the most important piece of climate legislation ever, and had a number of provisions that have been beneficial to the solar industry. 

CU: How did you get solar into the IRA? 

ARH: We worked our tails off to ensure that there was certainty and clarity for the industry in the Inflation Reduction Act. 

I think the most impactful thing is having our member companies talk with their elected officials about these impacts. And you know, we’re almost a year out now from the passage and I have gone to a number of ribbon cuttings, which are even more exciting than groundbreakings because the factory or the solar farm has been built. 

CU: Are you worried about IRA repeal efforts in Congress, such as in the House Ways and Means committee?  

ARH: The onus is on us as an industry to demonstrate how the IRA is working. So, we are tracking very closely where investments are being made, and making sure that legislators know that the IRA is having an impact in their districts. Our best defense against a repeal is to highlight success. 

I’m not particularly worried about solar being an issue in the 2024 campaign because I have the opportunity to talk to lots of Republican members of Congress, governors, attorney generals and most importantly, our corporate CEOs, utility CEOs. All polling shows that voters want more clean energy, not less. 

CU: An interesting SEIA report is “Solar in Sports.” Did you come up with that because people had no idea stadiums used solar? 

ARH: We do that report exactly to raise awareness in audiences that may not be aware of the way in which solar is impacting the venue they’re in. The Daytona 500, the solar panels there. Capital One Arena: solar on the roof. 

We also do a solar corporate report. Walmart is a huge buyer and procurer of solar. Target, Starbucks, FedEx … brands and stores utilizing solar. And it’s another way to bring it into their lives. That it is not merely kind of a scientific experiment in a lab, but companies they trust, brands they’re familiar with, and teams they are fans of are using it. So maybe there’s something there for them. 

Even though we don’t have the resources to conduct national public education campaigns, we can utilize our research and educate consumers in some unconventional ways. 

CU: How have you changed SEIA during your tenure? You had trade shows canceled because of COVID and Hurricane Ida. Have you diversified revenues? 

ARH: That revenue is still a pretty significant part of our budget, but we have more diversification than we did pre-COVID, certainly. 

We looked at other products in our industry and invested in building the capacity to provide those. For example, as the solar and storage industry grows, they will need to have standards on how to operate. So, we have become an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) certified standards body. 

Those sorts of things, we can then sell. They’re beneficial to the industry and obviously, a revenue generation source. Similarly, we have created Solar 101, an online training program. 

One of the really nice problems in our industry is that there’s so many people joining. We’ve also developed a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice certification for companies. They go through this certification process, like bronze, silver, gold, platinum. 

CU: Is it difficult to be a woman in your industry?  

ARH: At times, I have found it to be very challenging to be a woman in my industry. I have the privilege of being in leadership, so I have a unique view, but sometimes my voice is talked over. 

I find it really important that women have time and space to talk about what it’s like to be a woman in our industry and figure out ways we can support each other. 

CU: Why did you decide to make a statement about the overturning of Roe v. Wade? Was it important for you and your industry? 

ARH: For me, it’s an access-to-health-care issue. I lead an industry in which we’re going to need 700,000 new workers in the next seven years. Ideally, half of them are going to be women. So having access to health care is going to be critical to ensuring we’re able to attract women into our workforce. Anything that threatens that will threaten our ability to retain women. 

There was a really grassroots effort by women in the industry to speak up and say this is what we need. And I was really honored to be a part of that and support them. I took a pretty strong stance and no one gave me any negative feedback. 

CU: Did you hear anything from your board and would you recommend this to other  

associations? 

ARH: I have a really great and a very candid relationship with my board. I think they respect the way that I lead my association is with a lot of courage and authenticity. We certainly spoke out when George Floyd was murdered and put out a very honest statement. And all I have heard from my board is, “Thank you and how can we support you?” 

In addition to the industry, I’m also leading a company with 70 employees. That’s an important part of my job. The trade association is also a role model for the rest of the industry. I certainly heard from many, many people at different companies that what we said about Black Lives Matter and about Roe v. Wade meant a lot to them as the industry, even if they aren’t employed by the trade association. 

CU: How important is DEI to your industry?  

ARH: It’s really important for a number of reasons. First and foremost because we have a labor crisis, so we’re only going to be able to retain the entirety of our population if we get to an inclusive place to be. 

Second, those leadership teams that have inclusive cultures make more money.  

Third, obviously, I live in the political world. I cannot and I will not advocate for things by bringing a group of people that all look alike to lobby for an issue. It’s just not appropriate in the world we live in, so that’s not going to fly. 

One of the things we’ve done is think about, how can we help partner with companies owned by people of color or by women or owned by veterans? And so, we have created a Diverse Suppliers database, because I was literally just fielding phone calls: “Hey Abby. Do you know any companies owned by a woman, owned by a person of color, that do X or do Y?” I thought, “This is an intensely inefficient way to accomplish this.” So that’s one thing we’ve done. 

CU: How would you describe your management style at SEIA?  

ARH: Very transparent. We have a saying at SEIA that “information wants to be free.” We share with our entire staff details of the budget. We brief our entire staff before every board meeting about what’s on the agenda. I brief them about what transpired, tell them about staff changes, what’s happening on the business side of SEIA, as well as the policy side of SEIA. 

I give very direct feedback, both good and, I’d say, critical but actionable. So, people know exactly where they stand. 

CU: What is solar power’s future both for associations and people? 

ARH: We estimate that solar in the United States will triple in the next five years, which is pretty amazing. If you think about an industry that is going to grow at that rate in such a short period of time, it’s almost unprecedented. 

So, it’s an incredibly bright future. Pardon the pun. 

UP CLOSE WITH ABBY HOPPER 

Fiction over fact: When asked if she reads business books, Hopper emphatically replied, “No!” Business books “are too much like real life. I read fiction, fiction, and more fiction.” Her favorites? “Very well-researched historical fiction. I love reading fiction because it’s definitely an escape.”  

A real sport: “I’m a huge sports fan,” said Hopper. “In my office there is so much Washington Capitals paraphernalia all over the place you would wonder if I work in the solar industry—or if I’m just a Caps representative.” Her goal is to get a souvenir puck from every NHL arena. “I’ve been to 15 or 16,” she said. 

Team effort: Hopper and SEIA staff enjoy watching the Washington Spirit women’s soccer team and Washington Mystics women’s basketball team. “As a crew over at SEIA, we try and support lots of different teams, women’s sports in particular,” she said. 

Big show: SEIA co-owns RE+, which it bills as North America’s largest clean energy trade show. The event, set for Sept. 11-14 in Las Vegas, had a record 27,000 attendees in 2022. 

Solar Energy Industries Association 

Members: 1,200 member companies. 

Headquarters: Washington, D.C., at 14th and K Streets NW.   

Staff: 70  

From IRS 990 ending Dec. 31, 2021 

Revenue: $21 million  
Net assets: $8.5 million 

Salaries: $8.9 million 

For additional information, including salaries, see the Association Industry Data tab at CEOupdate.com.