Interconnection is the industry’s number one shared pain point, but the conversation almost always centers on the utility-scale queue. For installers, small C&I EPCs, and project managers building distributed and mid-market projects, the bottleneck looks different: review processes that weren’t built for volume, medium-sized projects studied alongside much larger ones, upgrade costs and timelines that can kill a deal, and rules that shift underneath you.
The round table opens with a brief presentation from Sean Garren of Vote Solar on what states have fixed, then moves into three breakout conversations: the utility perspective, led by John Gardner of Xcel Energy; navigating the process today, led by Brad Heavner of the California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA); and which reforms are worth pushing now, led by Sachu. Attendees leave with practicable moves to get their next distributed project through interconnection faster and cheaper.
