The U.S. solar and storage industry and its allies are ramping up a push for Congress to pass a reconciliation bill with historic clean energy deployment and manufacturing provisions. Over 400 solar and storage companies sent a letter to congressional leaders, urging them to pass the legislation, as hundreds of clean energy advocates make calls to offices on Capitol Hill.
These activities are part of an industry-wide day of action that emphasizes the massive clean energy and economic win Washington lawmakers can deliver to voters.
“The message from hundreds of solar and storage companies and advocates today is simple: Congress needs to get this done,” says Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “This is a once-in-a-generation window for leaders in Washington to deliver on their promise to tackle climate change, create clean energy jobs and ease the tight grip of inflation and the global energy crisis.
“Ongoing inflation and the global energy crisis demand that lawmakers finally get these policies over the finish line to deliver critical cost-savings for families,” Hopper adds. “America has the means to become more energy and climate secure by putting people to work producing and deploying clean energy here at home, and now leaders must recognize the urgency of the moment by passing this legislation.”
The coalition of clean energy businesses, workers, trade groups and advocates are rallying support for a comprehensive suite of policies, including a long-term extension of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and a standalone credit for energy storage. The ITC is a job-creator that is capable of sparking historic levels of solar and storage deployment and is a necessary policy tool to drive growth at the pace required to tackle climate change.
Incentives for domestic clean energy manufacturing, namely Senator Ossoff’s Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act (SEMA), are a crucial element of the reconciliation package, SEIA emphasizes. With near-term trade certainty in place thanks to President Biden’s solar tariff pause, Congress has an opportunity to enact effective industrial policy for clean energy manufacturing, the organization adds.
“The time for rhetoric is over, and the only thing left is to cut a deal,” concludes Hopper. “The solar and storage industry is motivated, mobilized and ready to make our clean energy future a reality if Congress acts. It’s time.”
