On Thursday, the solar industry released its policy priorities for the incoming administration and Congress, framing itself as a key part of a “comprehensive strategy” and a champion of jobs in America’s heartland.

In its policy requests, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said the Trump administration should “keep taxes where they are,” including clean energy incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act that have helped drive solar deployment in the United States. The request comes as Republicans are weighing whether to rescind parts of the climate law.
To lay the foundation for a strong energy economy, the solar industry is proposing an agenda organized around the following top 10 priorities.
No. 1: American energy dominance.
The United States is No. 2 in solar energy and No. 3 in solar manufacturing globally. The solar industry powers more than 35 million American homes in rural and urban areas as the cost of solar energy has been cut in half over the past decade. Solar now makes up the majority of new sources coming onto the grid, and low-cost energy storage makes solar dispatchable and improves grid reliability. The path to American energy dominance
needs an “all-of-the-above strategy” that includes robust solar and battery storage industries.

3: Boost American manufacturing.

The solar and storage industry has built or is building more than 100 new factories in 43 states, creating 40,000 new jobs. This manufacturing renaissance is just beginning. Strong policies to support manufacturing and domestic demand will grow our manufacturing fleet, create more jobs, and bring billions of dollars in new investment.

2: Eliminate dependence on China.

The reshoring of the American solar supply chain is underway and is expected to continue to grow. We need to support this economic engine that creates jobs, supports local economies, and is ready to enter the export market. By continuing to grow our solar industry, along with steel and electronics, we will end the dependence on Chinese solar products and provide an alternative source of solar panels for our international trading partners.

4: Meeting the demand challenges of data centers, AI, and cryptocurrencies.

The power grid is experiencing the largest growth in demand 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 approach that combines all of the above to meet these demands, and the vast majority are
demanding low-cost solar energy. American innovation must have the tools it needs to compete on a global scale to meet energy demand, and solar energy is the key to unlocking its potential.
December 2024 | seia.org

5: Reduce red tape in the energy sector.

In some parts of the country, it can take seven years or more to connect new power plants to the grid.
This is simply unacceptable. In order for the United States to compete globally and keep the lights on at home, we must pursue common-sense policies to make it easier to bring new energy onto the grid, allow competition from new low-cost resources, and prevent holdouts from utilities and grid operators.

6: Regulatory reform and certainty.

Regulatory overreach does not discriminate. We 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 solar energy investments for two decades. Solar energy is
popular, employs more than a quarter of a million Americans, and is critical to energy security and dominance. Keep taxes where they are so the solar and storage industry continues to support jobs, factories, and local economies.

8: Support 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. Americans love freedom, energy
security, and low energy costs. If consumers want to go solar, government shouldn’t stand in their way.

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.

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 trampling of property rights must end and Washington must send a signal that competition, not regulators, set the rules of the road.