Almost two hundred leading companies in the clean energy sector have united in a concerted appeal to congressional leaders. The heart of their message: legislation is critically needed to enhance areas such as permitting, project siting, and better access to public lands for the advancement of solar and energy storage projects.
Growth Trajectory at Risk Without Legislative Support
The pace at which solar energy deployment will expand significantly varies according to several factors. These include regulatory policies and the speed with which transmission capacities are built out. In an industry-wide call to action, businesses across the solar and energy storage spectrum are pressing policymakers to enact permitting and siting reforms essential to maintaining their industry’s rapid growth.
Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), emphasizes the stakes involved, “There are hundreds of billions of investment dollars that hinge on our capacity to get clean energy projects sited, permitted, and efficiently connected to a modernized transmission system.”
Key Reforms Proposed by Solar Industry
The coalition of 200 companies has laid out several strategic reforms aimed at bolstering America’s solar infrastructure:
- Federal Energy Permitting Modernization: Calls for simplifying and standardizing federal permitting processes, balanced with upholding environmental protections.
- Project Siting Government Partnerships: Suggests a collaborative effort among federal, state, and local governments to pinpoint and earmark suitable locations for clean energy developments, focusing on already disturbed or underused lands.
- Expansion of Transmission Capacity: Recommends a significant investment in transmission infrastructure enhancement and grid modernization to fully leverage solar energy potential, particularly in solar-rich but remote areas.
- Public Lands Access for Clean Energy Projects: Proposes to facilitate clean energy generation access to public land leases while preserving conservation ethos.
- Enhanced Interagency Cooperation: A suggestion to appoint a central hub among federal agencies involved in siting authority to accelerate the authorization process for key transmission infrastructure projects.
The variance between high and low solar deployment forecasts by Wood Mackenzie can be as much as 200 GW by 2034, illustrating the critical nature of government action in this sector. Without Congressional engagement in permitting and siting reform, local communities could forfeit significant economic opportunities and job creation.
Industry Leaders Voice the Need for Urgent Action
Leaders from prominent renewable energy companies echo the sentiment that prompt legislative and investment action is essential. Amanda Smith, Vice President of AES’ U.S. renewables, stresses the importance of federal permitting reform and transmission system improvements to the nation’s energy security. Similarly, Virinder Singh of EDF Renewables highlights the necessity for federal leadership to rise to the challenge, especially in the Western U.S., where solar development on federal lands is crucial for meeting energy reliability needs. David Mindham from EDP Renewables North America cites transmission capacity as the primary obstacle to renewable industry growth, with proposed reforms promising new American jobs and invigorated local economies. Finally, Maggie Sasser from Pine Gate Renewables calls on Congress to support the billions poised for investment in the country’s economic and communal upliftment.
In unison, these voices from the solar industry sector are clear in their message to Congress: the future of clean energy in America is contingent upon legislative action today.
