Solar and Storage Industries Institute adds Pawlenty, Jones-Albertus to board of directors

A nonprofit research group tied to the solar industry, the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2), has added two new members to its board of directors: Tim Pawlenty, former Minnesota governor and now head of the Solar Energy Industries Association, and Dr. Becca Jones-Albertus, a former U.S. Department of Energy solar official now working at Exelon. SI2 says it plans to grow its national research work on solar and battery storage as the industry changes.

This is mostly an inside-industry personnel move rather than something that changes costs, rebates, or rules for homeowners right now. SI2 studies things like permitting, interconnection, solar affordability, and public attitudes toward solar and storage, research that can eventually shape state and local policy on things like rooftop solar rules or utility programs. Jones-Albertus previously worked on efforts to lower the "soft costs" of solar (the non-equipment costs like permitting and installation labor) and to strengthen the U.S. solar supply chain.

There's no new program, deadline, or rebate here for homeowners to act on. It's a sign that the group producing research behind future solar and storage policy is expanding its leadership, which could influence how affordable and accessible solar and storage options become over time, but nothing changes for your home today.