I’m excited to (finally!) introduce Anne Hoskins as one of Swift Solar’s longstanding policy advisors, supporting us since 2022.
Anne brings a rare combo of deep policy expertise, systems thinking, and passion for the future of solar technology. As Senior Vice President of Policy and Market Development at Generac, former Chief Policy Officer at Sunrun and a longtime public servant, she has helped shape energy policy and corporate strategy at every level. At Swift Solar, she’s helping us navigate the complex regulatory world—and reminding me how important it is to educate policymakers.
As Anne once told me: “Most people aren’t aware of perovskites—they can’t even pronounce it” (it’s puh-RAHV-skites by the way).
Luckily we’ve come a long way since then, and we’re lucky to have Anne in our corner!
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Anne Hoskins is the SVP of Policy and Market Development at Generac, where she leads policy initiatives to accelerate distributed clean energy deployment, modernize the electric grid, and improve energy resiliency and reliability.
Anne has almost two decades of regulatory, policy, and strategy experience across the energy and telecom sectors, including serving as Chief Policy Officer of Sunrun, Commissioner at the Maryland Public Service Commission, SVP of Policy and Sustainability at Public Service Enterprise Group, and Senior Counsel at Verizon Wireless.
Anne has served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and the Solar Energy Industry Association, where she helped advance regulatory innovation across the energy industry. She was recently appointed by California Governor Newsom to serve as a member of the Central Coast Water Quality Control Board. Anne is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (MPA), and Cornell University (BS Applied Economics).
Q&A with Swift Solar Advisor, Anne Hoskins
What excites you the most about perovskite tandem solar technology?
I am most excited about its ability to markedly improve solar efficiency and reduce costs of solar systems.
This is critical due to the recent rollback and in some cases termination of federal tax incentives and grants for solar energy. We are also seeing state regulatory commissions reduce compensation for solar energy by changing net energy metering and adding grid access fees. Utility-scale solar is facing challenges from delayed and costly transmission projects, which increase the total cost of that power. By improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of solar panels, perovskites can make solar more affordable and thereby improve access and drive demand.
I’m also very excited to see Swift Solar’s technology being utilized to support critical infrastructure, such as its recent partnership with American Tower to deploy perovskite solar technology across their US communications sites.
What lessons from your career still guide you today?
Having worked through the “solar coaster” over the past decade, I’ve learned to “keep calm and carry on”. For example, through COVID and the NEM battles the solar industry adjusted and survived and we can do the same in the face of the federal retrenchment from clean energy. But to do so, we need to keep pushing forward with technology improvements, like perovskites, and also work on new regulatory models that fully value and leverage renewable power.
How has your approach to supply chain strategy evolved, particularly in light of recent global disruptions and geopolitical tensions?
The global disruptions, as well as frequent changes in federal policy, make it more important and valuable to build out the supply chain for essential components and materials in the United States. Incentives such as Section 45X production tax credits are critical to encourage domestic manufacturing.
You've worked in both telecommunications and energy industries, including solar. What policy insights have you been able to transfer between industries, and what's been surprisingly different?
I served in regulatory and public policy roles for a telecommunication company, a public utility, and for competitive solar and battery companies. I’ve also served as a public utilities commissioner where I regulated these and other entities.
I learned important lessons about the value of competition while working to open up markets for wireless telecommunications in the early 2000s. I believe that competition in telecommunications drove technology improvements in fiber optics and wireless technologies that would not have developed if that industry remained highly regulated. I see similar potential with electricity, and believe greater competition with utilities could improve customer access to clean energy, open market opportunities for products, encourage investment in new technology solutions, and improve grid reliability and resilience.
Was there a turning point in your career that led you to focus on clean energy or climate innovation?
Yes. In 2012-2013, just before joining the Maryland Public Service Commission, I spent a year as a visiting research fellow at Princeton’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. I spent time with engineering and policy faculty who were working on solutions to the growing climate crisis—which included battery and solar technologies. That experience opened my eyes to the need for supportive regulation and policies to advance clean energy technology. This view solidified when I served as a public utilities commissioner and saw how few organizations were appearing before state commissions to advocate for renewable energy. So when my Commission term ended, I joined Sunrun (and subsequently Generac) to advocate for distributed clean energy solutions before state and federal governments.
If you could wave a magic wand and solve one challenge in the solar industry, what would it be?
I would make it easier for advocates, competitive providers and technology developers to participate in the regulatory process. We need new solutions and new voices in the process! Right now the process is expensive and time consuming, with incumbent utilities having outsized influence. By leveling the playing field before policy and regulators, the best ideas and technologies are evaluated and adopted.
What excites you most about Swift Solar’s technology, team, or mission?
From the first time I met Joel I was taken by his sincere commitment to tackling climate change. I’ve met many leaders in the clean energy industry, and Joel stands out for his mission-driven focus, in addition to his drive for tackling one of the hardest solar technical challenges. His quiet yet strong leadership is impressive and will be critical as the team works to drive continued improvements over the next few years.
