With uncertainty surrounding the effect of changing federal policies on the renewable energy industry, the importance of strong state energy policy was a topic of discussion at this week’s RE+ Northeast.
Panelists at RE+ Northeast 2025 Opening Session. Left to right: Sean Gallagher, senior vice president, policy, Solar Energy Industries Association; Doreen Harris, president and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); Elizabeth Mahony, commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resource; Jeffrey Roy, state representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives; Sheri Givens, president and CEO, Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA)
Image: pv magazine USA
RE+ Northeast held this week in Boston showed the resilience of the renewable energy industry in the region, with nearly 3,000 attendees facing cold temperatures while winter storms loomed on the horizon.
Renewable energy has a strong and growing foothold in the Northeast in general; however, New York is the only Northeast state in the top ten for installed solar, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). States in the Northeast region range in ranking from New York being 8th in solar installations to New Hampshire being 43rd, which is a testament to the importance in the clean energy policies of individual states.
State policy was a topic of discussion by panelists in the Opening Session, which began with a welcome by Sheri Givens, president and CEO, Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) and Sean Gallagher, senior vice president of policy at SEIA. Gallagher described recent lobbying efforts in Washington, where over 100 meetings were held on the critical role of the federal tax credits offered by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). In stressing the “new era of American energy dominance,” Gallagher noted that solar module manufacturing has jumped from just 7 GW before passage of the IRA to over 50 GW today.
New York state, the only Northeastern state that is not in New England, was represented by Doreen Harris, president and CEO of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). In discussing the state of renewables in New York, Harris said that load growth is “a good problem to have,” noting the New York electric demand is expected to double in the coming decade. She said we need an all-of-the-above solution to meet electricity demand and what is critical to meet that demand is working together as a region.
In light of the challenges brought by the new U.S. administration, Jeffrey Roy, state representative, Massachusetts House of Representatives, said it’s more important than ever to “set policy goals, understanding that the focus will shift to states.” Massachusetts, which ranks 11th in solar installations “is not going to stop moving forward,” Roy said.
Massachusetts has one of the most innovative renewable programs in the country with its SMART program, which, Elizabeth Mahony, commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, said is being revamped and will be even stronger. And what happens in Massachusetts has ripple effects across the country, as Mahony noted that the Department of Energy Resources is working on a plan that will buy U.S. made products, which come from all across the country.
Overall, the sentiment at RE+ Northeast is that the die has been cast. Harris alluded to NYSERDA’s fifty year history in which there have been nine presidents. “Ultimately what is durable is state policy,” she said, suggesting to the solar industry professionals in attendance keep their heads down and continue making progress. “We’ve weathered storms before,” she said.
