Rising electricity demand and prolonged outages are pushing the Tennessee Valley to rethink how it builds and operates the grid. Where do solar, batteries, and community-scale microgrids fit?
In episode 374 of the Clean Power Hour, Tim Montague welcomes Gil Hough, Executive Director of the Tennessee Solar Energy Industries Association (TenneSEIA), for a conversation following the organization’s 2026 conference.
Gil explains how the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) shapes this distinctive public-power market—and why municipal utilities and electric cooperatives are becoming a source of innovation in solar, storage, and distributed energy.
Tim and Gil discuss:
• How TVA’s federal public-power structure shapes opportunities for solar and storage developers
• Why TVA’s new Integrated Resource Plan includes a distributed-energy strategy alongside utility-scale solar, storage, and other generation
• How annual requests for proposals are changing TVA’s approach to large-scale solar and storage procurement
• What the invitation-only Resource Solicitation Cluster means for project selection and interconnection studies
• How generation flexibility gives local power companies room to develop solar, storage, and virtual power plants
• What recent storm outages reveal about the need for local resilience and community-scale microgrids
• How TVA’s decision-making and funding model differs from the investor-owned utility model
• How TenneSEIA’s committees and utility relationships help developers, manufacturers, and local power companies collaborate
For developers and energy professionals, the conversation highlights two routes into the market: TVA’s utility-scale procurement process and partnerships with local power companies pursuing distributed resources.
Gil argues that solar, storage, and better load management can help utilities use their infrastructure more effectively and mitigate cost pressures. Tim explores his vision of a grid of community-scale microgrids, with substations serving as hubs for nearby generation and storage.
Listen for a practical look at how procurement, utility partnerships, economics, and resilience are shaping the next phase of clean energy in the Tennessee Valley.
MEET TIM AT ILREC 2026
Tim Montague will be at the Illinois Renewable Energy Conference (ILREC), October 19-20, 2026, at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott and Conference Center in Normal, Illinois.
ILREC brings together leaders from across Illinois' renewable energy industry to discuss the policies, technologies, market trends, and business challenges shaping the state's clean energy future.
Learn more and register at https://illinoisrenewableenergyconference.org/
Connect with Gil Hough
TenneSEIA website: https://tenneseiasolar.com/
Gil Hough LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilhough
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