James Ince and Sam Taylor put forth a proposal for organization of a solar energy trade association.
The first call for incentive legislation came in Feb. 1973, before SEIA was formally established, in a letter from Sheldon Butt to Sen. Hubert Humphrey. The Energy Tax Act is finally passed in 1978 and includes solar energy tax incentives.
Largely due to the efforts of Sheldon Butt, S.3234 - The Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act, is passed by the 93rd Congress and signed by President Ford before SEIA was formally established.
Five industry members meet in the noisy basement of the DC Hilton Hotel to establish a national trade association for the solar industry.
At the International Solar Expo 75, sponsored by SEIA, ERDA and FEA in Washington, DC in May 1975, in a preamble to the three-day program, President Gerald Ford wrote, “The goal of this nation’s solar energy program is to develop and introduce at the earliest feasible time those applications of solar energy that can be made economically attractive and environmentally acceptable as alternative energy sources…I pledge my continued support to these efforts.” On the final day of the Expo, SEIA awarded Congressman Mike McCormack with its first “Man-of-the-Year” award.
SEIA founds the Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation (SEREF), which would eventually be renamed The Solar Foundation in later years, to develop solar equipment codes and standards.
CAL-SEIA becomes the first state chapter of the Solar Energy Industries Association with 37 charter members.
The Carter Administration's National Energy Plan sets goal for America to run on 20% solar by 2000.
By early 1978 SEIA had grown to eight divisions, more than fifteen, standing committees and four state chapters
The Energy Tax Act of 1978 becomes law, providing a 15 percent solar tax credit for the first time.
Carter installs solar panels on the White House roof.
Nine SEGS (Solar Energy Generating Systems) installed in Mojave Desert, becoming the largest solar installation in the world.
Reagan Administration removes solar panels from White House roof for cleaning. Solar would not return to the White House grounds until President George W. Bush's Admnistration, when a solar water heating system was installed on a maintenance building in 2002.
The solar tax credit established in 1978 under President Carter continued uninterrupted for 8 years until President Regan signed into law the Tax Reform Act of 1986, which provided for a phased reduction of the ITC.
On January 1, 1987 the solar tax credit falls to 12 percent.
On January 1, 1988 the solar tax credit is reduced to 10 percent, and the credit remained at this level until 2005.
The Bush Administration's Energy Policy Act created new 30% ITC (investment tax credit) for commercial and residential solar systems, a huge boon for SEIA and solar.
SEIA and the United Nations work together to support solar cooker initiative in Darfur
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act includes eight-year extension of the commercial and residential ITC.
The Solar Industry marked the fastest growing industry in America, employing over 100,000 solar workers in the U.S., working at 5,600 businesses across the nation.
SEIA and the Solar Alliance merge, creating an advocacy organization committed to establishing unified solar policies at both the federal and the state level.
Solar Impulse, the solar-powered airplane, lands In DC. SEIA President Rhone Resch presents Solar Impulse founders Dr. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg with SEIA's Innovators-of-the-Year Award.
Solar returns to the White House for the first time since 1986!
SEIA successfully convinced the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve a new rule that will expedite and reduce the cost of solar project interconnections, while maintaining the reliability and safety of the electric grid.
Educating Americans about the benefits of clean, reliable and affordable solar energy was at the heart of a new social media campaign, America Supports Solar, which was launched by SEIA in conjunction with National “Shout Out For Solar” Day and the Association’s 40th anniversary as a national trade association.
Giving his own “shout out for solar,” President Obama praised the U.S. solar industry in his annual State of the Union address. The Solar Foundation's National Solar Jobs Census found that the U.S. solar industry jumped 20 percent in 2013 to hit 142,698 jobs.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced that its decade-long solar SunShot Initiative reached more than 60 percent of the way to achieving “cost-competitive utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity.”
In recognition of its “remarkable achievement” in the area of website design and development, SEIA was honored by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Science as part of its prestigious 18th Annual Webby Awards competition. Only seven organizations were named honorees in the “Associations” category. SEIA was the only energy trade association in America selected.
In recognition of its highly successful America Supports Solar campaign, which was launched in 2014 as part of National Shout Out for Solar Day, SEIA won two prestigious Gold Communicator Awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA) as part of its 20th annual worldwide awards competition.
In recognition of SEIA’s highly successful America Supports Solar campaign, which was launched in 2014 as part of National Shout Out for Solar Day, the Association won a silver 2014 W3 Award for Web creativity from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA).
SEIA’s social media efforts were ranked No. 1 in the nation among trade associations with up to 100 employees by Association Trends, a division of Columbia Books Inc. In the “2014 Social Media Report,” SEIA was also ranked No. 2 nationally when compared to all other energy trade associations, coming in just behind the American Petroleum Institute.
U.S. President Barack Obama and People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping made a joint announcement to adopt greenhouse gas emission reductions post-2020. The announcement comes in anticipation of a 2015 international agreement on climate change framework by the United Nations Climate Conference. Along with the finalization of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan in 2015, the solar industry is poised for further growth as a clean source to meet America’s energy needs.
Solar energy is cited as the fastest-growing source of renewable energy in America in the “State of American Energy Report” by the American Petroleum Institute.
More than 105 million people raised their voice for SEIA’s Second Annual National Shout out For Solar Day on Facebook and Twitter.
In his annual State of the Union speech delivered to Congress and the nation, President Barack Obama highlighted the rapid expansion of solar power in the United States since he moved into the White House. Employment in the U.S. solar industry surpassed 173,000 workers in 2014, according to the Solar Foundation’s fifth annual National Solar Jobs Census. The sector added more than 31,000 jobs in 2014, far outpacing job growth of the overall U.S. economy.
To make sure there's a job waiting for veterans when they leave the military, SEIA is pledging to hire or train 33,000 veterans and spouses over the next five years to reach 50,000 veterans total in the solar sector, First Lady Michelle Obama said in Manassas, Va., during a speech at Micron Technology, Inc., a semiconductor manufacturer.
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