Solar energy is the most affordable source of new electricity generation on the market today. It is the fastest energy source to build and is helping prop up the grid during even the most severe heatwaves. As electricity demand continues to climb, these technologies are well positioned to meet America’s growing energy needs. However, new permitting roadblocks and unnecessary bureaucracy are delaying projects that are ready to deliver reliable power, threatening affordability, grid reliability, and American competitiveness. The Problem One year ago this week, a memo from the Department of the Interior imposed new reviews on solar project permits. Every project sited on federal land or requiring a federal right-of-way is now subject to multi-step, Secretary-level approval. As a result, projects are taking longer to build just as America’s demand for electricity reaches record levels. SEIA estimates that political attacks on solar put over 450 projects at risk, representing over 36% of all new planned power capacity in the United States. At a time when demand is rising, slowing the nation’s fastest-growing source of new electricity makes it harder to bring affordable power online when Americans need it most. The Consequences If new generation cannot come online fast enough to meet growing demand, consumers and businesses will face higher electricity costs while the electric grid comes under greater strain. A recent study from Corporate Energy Buyers Association and NERA found that constraints on new solar and wind development could add $81.2 billion to household energy bills over the next seven years. Commercial and industrial customers are projected to pay an additional $40 billion over the same time. Together, these delays could cost Americans more than $120 billion while slowing economic growth. However, rising energy bills are far from the only cost associated with these bureaucratic delays. Greater permitting uncertainty raises the risks for developers and threatens the billions of dollars the solar and storage industry had planned to invest in local communities. According to Wood Mackenzie, the additional friction caused by this permitting slowdown is putting more than $121 billion of American investment at risk. That means fewer jobs, less local tax revenue, and slower economic development in communities across the country. Delaying solar and storage projects also puts greater pressure on grid reliability. As new data centers and manufacturing facilities come online, alongside more frequent extreme weather and volatile global energy markets, America’s electricity system is being pushed to its limits. We need every available source of reliable power. Solar and storage can help meet that demand, but only if projects are allowed to move forward. The Solution We do not need to accept higher electricity prices, weakened grid reliability, and slower economic growth. Right now, Congress has an opportunity to pass durable, bipartisan, tech-neutral permitting reform that creates a faster, fairer process for building new energy infrastructure. Streamlining permitting will help lower electricity costs, strengthen grid reliability, unlock American investment, and improve our nation’s energy security. An all-of-the-above energy strategy requires building every resource that can meet America’s growing electricity needs. Solar and storage are ready to do their part. Congress should pass permitting reform and let America build. Tell your Senators to support bipartisan permitting reform and help bring more affordable, reliable American energy online. Article from SEIA.
+39 others
