Deploy, deploy, deploy: The word has been a key mantra among clean energy advocates in recent years. During the Biden administration especially, there was a real sense of urgency to get wind and solar projects up and running, even though they had many years to claim production or investment tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The GOP’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” narrowed that window precipitously. To claim tax credits, projects now have to start construction within one year of the bill’s passage — so before July 4, 2026 — or be placed into service by the end of 2027. And while more recent Treasury rules do not make claiming those credits as difficult as some pundits feared, new project requirements and the addition of strict foreign entity restrictions mean that building clean energy projects is both more costly and more difficult than it was at this time last year.
But Sheri Givens, the president and CEO of the non-profit membership organization Smart Electric Power Alliance, said these changes won’t stop clean energy progress across the U.S. — and that’s because states are stepping up. During a recent interview on the With Great Power podcast, Givens said she’s seeing states double down on their clean energy goals,
”Just because the federal government might not be as supportive in these next few years, that doesn’t mean [states] are going to stop,” Givens said.
On August 1, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued an executive action that calls on the state’s government to prioritize the deployment of clean energy projects through speedier permitting and updating interconnection standards to lower project costs and shorten timelines. And it committed to supporting utilities and developers starting construction of clean energy projects in time to receive federal tax credits.
The governor called on the private sector to invest now in clean energy projects that are eligible for federal tax incentives, and said the state would be “prioritizing expeditious review of projects as they come into the queue for state consultation and permitting.”
Group effort
Nationwide, the rate of adding clean energy capacity to the grid has slowed so far in 2025. However, in some states it’s increasing, despite diminished federal support. Arizona, Indiana, and Ohio, for example, are all reportedly on track to grow at twice the national average.
And many other states are advancing legislation to support and expand clean energy infrastructure, including virtual power plants, microgrids, and energy storage.
At the same time, utilities are leaning on policymakers to ensure continued progress toward clean energy goals, said Givens: “They’re really trying to make sure that policymakers understand their business models, understand some of the challenges they’re having, whether it’s supply chain or permitting or cost.”
Those utility efforts may see results in states like New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, all of which are considering permitting reforms aimed at speeding clean energy deployments.
Looking across borders
SEPA has run 15 international trips — what it calls fact-finding missions — since 2008. These bring together member organizations and companies from utilities to vendors to regulatory agencies. Past trips included Australia, Denmark, and Germany.
In Australia, Givens said that members learned not only about the challenges of building transmission networks, but also the success of rooftop solar programs, thanks to government subsidies. The SEPA tour also learned how Australian utilities have made progress in building relationships and trust with consumers when it comes to testing new voltage control systems.
“It seems like the customers trust their utility,” Givens said. “They really try to help with any kind of system demand or load issues.”
In Germany, meanwhile, members toured a green steel project and learned how the government is working toward its goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2045. And their hosts talked about the challenges of phasing out coal while also reducing their dependence on Russian gas.
Next up is Portugal, where SEPA members will likely be fielding questions about how they’re deploying clean energy projects amid major changes in federal energy policy. But Givens doesn’t expect the questions to stop there.
”When we go and speak with the governmental organizations or the policymakers in those countries, they certainly want to hear not only what’s happening at the federal level, but specifically what’s happening in the states,” she said.
For the full conversation with Sheri Givens, listen to his interview on With Great Power:
This is partner content, brought to you by GridX. It borrows from an interview that appeared on With Great Power, a Latitude Studios partner podcast.
With Great Power is a show about the people building the future grid, today. It’s a co-production of GridX and Latitude Studios. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get your shows.
