Statement from Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), on the Department of Energys announcement of $18 million in funding for grid modernization projects.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Statement from Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), on the Department of Energys announcement of $18 million in funding for grid modernization projects.

"The Department of Energys funding for grid modernization comes at a critical moment in the evolution of solar as a mainstream energy resource. Distributed energy technologies -- such as storage and advanced inverters -- have the potential for integrating more solar onto the grid in ways that will be cost-effective for all utility customers.

"The projects announced today should help accelerate this process, which is already underway at a number of utilities. Equally important, they will produce solutions that will work across the diverse geographic and regulatory markets the awardees represent.

"We are also proud that four of the six funding recipients are SEPA members, and we look forward to helping to publicize the results of these projects through our education initiatives, which reach more than 1,000 members of the electric power industry. The technologies developed in these projects will not only drive grid modernization, they will also generate new services and business models that will benefit customers, utilities and the grid."