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SEIA and Solar Alliance merge

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the advocacy organisation commited to establishing solar policies at state level in the U.S., Solar Alliance, will operate under the SEIA brand with effect immediately.

SEIA sees this merge as a critical move for it to mirror the industry's growth.

Solarpraxis AG/Hans Christoph Neidlein

The national trade association for the U.S. solar industry, SEIA, sees this as a critical move for it to mirror the industry's growth and place its resources and expertise into developing state policy that expands markets for solar energy. This is the statement released today by president and CEO of SEIA, Rhone Resch. SEIA identifies its plan for 2012 as to present a unified voice in policy issues ranging from international trade, extension of the Section 1603 Treasury Program, and improved access for solar developers on public lands to the policy efforts in the states.

Solar Alliance's membership list include some of the biggest manufacturers in the sector, including names like Oerlikon Solar, First Solar, Q-Cells, Sharp Solar, SunEdison, Suntech America and Yingli.

Solar Alliance's president Carrie Cullen Hitt is now vice president for state affairs at SEIA. The Solar Alliance team will be led by Hitt as part of SEIA's new department for state affairs.

Resch elaborates, "Adding Carrie Cullen Hitt and her top-notch staff to the SEIA team is a critical step as we continue to scale the U.S. market and move toward our goal of installing ten gigawatts of solar annually by 2015".

"We have tremendous opportunities for opening markets for solar across all regions," says Hitt. "With the Solar Alliance now a part of SEIA, we have the unified voice that is necessary on the policy front - both in Washington and in the states - to really take the U.S. solar industry to the next level".