In response to President Biden’s State of the Union address, Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), emphasized the critical role of diversified energy sources in meeting America’s growing electricity needs.
Hopper highlighted the significant contribution of solar energy to the nation’s power grid, noting that last year marked the first time in 80 years where a renewable energy source, namely solar, accounted for more than half of annual capacity additions. She underscored the substantial private investment and job creation resulting from the rapid expansion of solar capacity, with nearly half of all solar capacity installed in the past three years alone, amounting to over $120 billion in investments and thousands of jobs across all 50 states.
Attributing the success to pro-business, pro-growth clean energy laws enacted under the current administration, Hopper expressed confidence that maintaining these policies would drive further growth in solar deployment and manufacturing. She projected a quadrupling of solar deployment and the creation of 100,000 American jobs in solar manufacturing over the next decade, provided that current policies remain in place.
Emphasizing the economic opportunities presented by the transition to clean energy, Hopper asserted that it could spur job creation, bolster the middle class, address environmental inequalities, and foster a more inclusive energy economy. She projected that the solar and storage industry would contribute over half a trillion dollars to the economy in the next decade, with a focus on ensuring broad-based benefits for all Americans.
Looking ahead, Hopper expressed SEIA’s support for President Biden’s clean energy vision and reiterated the organization’s commitment to advancing clean energy initiatives throughout 2024 and beyond.
