Toward that end, the group has related a “comprehensive” policy agenda that calls on the Republicans who are now in charge in the nation’s capital to strengthen the solar and storage industries and part of a broad strategy to achieve American energy independence and security.
Among other things, it calls for eliminating dependence on China for solar and storage components and continuing the surge in manufacturing investments begun by the Biden administration that has made the U.S., in the association’s words, “a top three solar manufacturing hub.”
“Solar is critical to meeting America’s growing need for electricity and providing power for manufacturing, data centers, cryptocurrency, and AI,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper in a written statement.
“This is a roadmap for the Trump administration and Congress to capitalize on strong federal solar and storage policies and achieve their vision of a dominant American energy sector,” Hopper continued. “Enacting this agenda will give the United States control of the solar supply chain and ensure American communities benefit from solar and storage jobs and economic growth.”
The agenda the solar industry is proposing is organized around the following top 10 priorities:
#1: American energy dominance.
The U.S. is #2 in solar power and #3 in solar manufacturing globally. According to the association, the path to American energy dominance needs an “all of the above strategy” that includes strong solar and battery storage industries.
#2: Eliminate dependence on China.
The reshoring of the U.S. solar supply chain is well underway and expected to continue to grow. “We need to stand by this economic engine that creates jobs, supports local economies, and is poised to enter the export marketplace. By continuing to grow our solar industry, along with steel and electronics, we will end reliance on Chinese solar products and provide a welcome alternative source of solar panels for our international trading partners,” the association says.
#3: Grow American manufacturing.
The solar and storage industry has built or is building over 100 new factories in 43 states, creating 40,000 new jobs, but the association says, this manufacturing renaissance is only just beginning. “Strong policies to support manufacturing and domestic demand will surge our manufacturing fleet, create more jobs, and bring billions of dollars in new investments,” it says.
#4: Meet the demand challenges of data centers, AI, and cryptocurrency.
The power grid is experiencing the largest demand growth since World War II, due to new manufacturing facilities as well as cutting-edge American innovations in artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency mining.
“Businesses will need an all of the above approach to meeting these demands, and the vast majority are demanding low-cost solar. American innovation must have the tools it needs to compete on a global scale to meet energy demand, and solar is the key to unlocking their potential,” the group says.
#5: Cut red tape in the energy sector.
The association notes that In some parts of the country, it can still take seven years or more to connect new power plants to the grid. “This is simply unacceptable,” it says. “For the U.S. to compete globally and keep the lights on at home, we must enact common-sense policies to make it easier to get new power on the grid, enable competition from new low-cost resources, and stop utilities and grid operators from dragging their feet.”
#6: Regulatory reform and certainty.
Regulatory overreach does not discriminate, the association says. The federal government must eliminate wasteful and burdensome efforts to restrict infrastructure investments on federal lands, stifle competition, and impose undue EPA rules and regulations on used solar panels.
#7: Keep taxes low.
Bipartisan tax policies have encouraged new investments in solar energy for two decades. Solar is popular, employs over a quarter of a million Americans, and is critical to energy security and dominance. “Keep taxes where they are in order for the solar and storage industry to continue to support local jobs, factories and economies,” the group says.
#8: Support energy choice and energy freedom.
Rooftop solar and home batteries promote consumer choice and energy freedom from monopoly utilities. A new rooftop solar system is installed every 39 seconds in the United States. “Americans love freedom, energy security, and low energy costs. If consumers want to go solar, government shouldn’t stand in their way,” the association says.
#9: Bring more jobs to America’s heartland.
Solar project developers are incentivized to build new power plants in rural areas with local workers. Today the biggest states for solar include Texas (#2), Florida (#3), North Carolina (#4), Arizona (#5), Nevada (#6), and Georgia (#7). “We owe it to these workers and communities to keep their economies strong,” the association says.
#10: Protect private property rights.
This nation was founded on strong protections for private property rights. But lawmakers are increasingly telling landowners what they can and can’t do with their own property – whether that be roofs or fields,” the association says.
“The trampling of property rights must end and Washington must send a signal that competition, not regulators, set the rules of the road,” it adds.
In addition to releasing its agenda, the association also included a gentle reminder of the success industry’s success during Trump’s first term in office, when the industry sector grew 128% and reached 100 GW of total installed capacity – enough to power over 17 million homes.
“This period of growth set the United States on a trajectory to becoming the #2 solar market in the world today with 220 GW on the grid and over 100 solar and storage manufacturing plants across 43 states,” the association said.
