Solar

Renewable energy industry reacts to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address

Renewable energy industry reacts to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address
President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address on March 7, 2024 (courtesy: whitehouse.gov)

President Joe Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address Thursday, and decarbonization was front and center. The President referenced steps his administration has taken to grow the clean energy industry in the United States to meet aggressive carbon goals. Today, all corners of the industry are weighing in on what the President had to say. This post contains a brief collection of some feedback.

“We must harness the incredible power of advanced energy technologies to reduce harmful emissions while also lowering energy costs, creating economic opportunity for Americans in all states, and building an energy system we can rely on,” said Advanced Energy United President and CEO Heather O’Neill.

“As witnessed in recent events across the country, our aging, fossil-fueled electricity system is leaving households and businesses vulnerable to outages. We can fix this by updating our energy infrastructure and doubling down on clean energy and storage investments. The longer we wait, the harder and more expensive this work becomes, jeopardizing more lives and the economic well-being of local businesses and economies,” O’Neill continued.

“Under Biden’s leadership, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA), and the CHIPS and Science Act, which combined are leading to $650 billion in private-sector investments in advanced manufacturing and clean energy, and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs in those industries. But the work isn’t done. Congress needs to pass sensible and responsible permitting reform legislation that makes it easier for us to build a stronger interstate transmission grid, bolster the supply chain for domestic advanced energy manufacturing, and continue the growth of a circular clean energy economy.”

“States must also build on this momentum,” AEU’s O’Neill added. “We have the technology to meet our 100 percent clean energy goals while ensuring we have an affordable and reliable grid. This opportunity and urgency must be met with state policies that meet the moment, harnessing unprecedented resources unleashed by the IRA and IIJA. States must remove barriers to building large-scale clean energy projects, make it easier and more affordable for households and businesses to go electric, and ensure utilities are serving customer needs by leveraging all the kinds of advanced energy technologies and services available to get to 100 percent clean electricity as quickly as possible.”

“Tonight, President Biden underscored our nation’s record-breaking production of clean, secure American energy,” said American Clean Power CEO Jason Grumet. “Clean energy is powering more American homes and businesses than ever before and hundreds of manufacturing facilities are opening all across the country building the wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries that are growing our economy. Just today, we announced that the industry deployed a record 34 gigawatts of clean energy in 2023, accounting for nearly 80 percent of all new power additions in the U.S.”

“While clean energy production and manufacturing is lifting up communities across the country, we are not moving nearly fast enough to meet critical environmental and national security goals. Policymakers must enact commonsense reforms that accelerate responsible permitting, support resilient supply chains, and build the long-haul transmission needed to ensure that American energy is reliable, affordable, and clean,” Grumet concluded.

“Tonight, the President made clear that generating electricity from diversified energy sources is the only way we’ll be able to meet America’s increasing demand for electricity,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

“Last year, more than half of the electricity added to the grid capacity came from solar, the first time in 80 years that a renewable energy source accounted for a majority of annual capacity additions. Nearly half of all solar capacity on the grid today has been installed in the last three years, generating over $120 billion of private investment and thousands of jobs across all 50 states,” Hopper added.

“Pro-business, pro-growth clean energy laws passed under this administration have done more for domestic solar manufacturing than any program or policy in U.S. history. If we stay the course with these policies, solar deployment will quadruple, and America’s solar manufacturing workforce will grow to 100,000 jobs over the next decade. We have the laws in place we need to break free from our reliance on imports and build a strong, American-made energy future that helps us breathe cleaner air and lead healthier lives.”

“The transition to clean energy is an opportunity to create jobs, build up the middle class, reverse decades of environmental injustice, and build a more inclusive energy economy. The solar and storage industry will add over half a trillion dollars to the economy over the next decade, and we are focused on ensuring every American benefits from this economic boom,” SEIA’s CEO continued.

“We have more work to do to fully realize a future powered by renewables. We support President Biden’s clean energy vision and look forward to continuing this work throughout 2024 and beyond.”