Affordability for everyday Americans

Clean energy has become cheaper than almost all other energy technologies, with the cost of large-scale solar generation in particular, plummeting over 90% in the past decade. When utilities and grid operators procure power from solar, wind, and storage facilities, those savings flow through to ratepayers in the form of lower electricity bills. Long-term power purchase agreements with utility-scale solar and storage projects lock in predictable, low-cost electricity prices for decades, shielding consumers from the volatile fuel costs that cause spikes in natural gas and coal-powered electricity rates.

Distributed solar and storage can directly reduce individual household bills. As solar technology has matured and manufacturing has scaled up, the cost of solar installation has dropped by more than 90% over the past decade, making clean energy more accessible than ever before. Supportive policies like community solar, tax credits, and financing programs continue to bring these savings within reach for working- and middle-class families — not just wealthy homeowners.

Affordability for everyday Americans

Clean energy has become cheaper than almost all other energy technologies, with the cost of large-scale solar generation in particular, plummeting over 90% in the past decade. When utilities and grid operators procure power from solar, wind, and storage facilities, those savings flow through to ratepayers in the form of lower electricity bills. Long-term power purchase agreements with utility-scale solar and storage projects lock in predictable, low-cost electricity prices for decades, shielding consumers from the volatile fuel costs that cause spikes in natural gas and coal-powered electricity rates.

Distributed solar and storage can directly reduce individual household bills. As solar technology has matured and manufacturing has scaled up, the cost of solar installation has dropped by more than 90% over the past decade, making clean energy more accessible than ever before. Supportive policies like community solar, tax credits, and financing programs continue to bring these savings within reach for working- and middle-class families — not just wealthy homeowners.

Grid resilience

Clean energy technologies are essential tools for building a more reliable and resilient national grid. Large-scale battery storage facilities — capable of storing hundreds of megawatt-hours of electricity — can be dispatched within milliseconds to stabilize grid frequency, absorb sudden supply or demand swings, and keep power flowing during outages that would otherwise cascade across entire regions. Unlike fossil fuel plants that depend on continuous fuel delivery that can be disrupted by supply chain failures or extreme weather, utility-scale solar, wind and batteries can draw on and store an inexhaustible and universally available resource. Strategically sited large-scale storage can also defer or eliminate costly transmission upgrades, reducing infrastructure vulnerabilities.

America’s electrical grid was built for a different era, and geopolitical instability, supply chain issues, and extreme weather events are exposing just how fragile our power infrastructure can be. Distributed solar and battery storage fundamentally change this equation by decentralizing energy generation and putting power resources closer to where they’re actually needed. When a solar-plus-storage system is installed on a home, business, or community facility, it can continue operating even when the broader grid goes down, keeping critical loads like medical devices, refrigeration, and communications running. At a grid-wide level, a network of distributed solar and storage assets provides flexibility and redundancy that makes the entire system more robust and better able to absorb and recover from disruptions.

Grid resilience

Clean energy technologies are essential tools for building a more reliable and resilient national grid. Large-scale battery storage facilities — capable of storing hundreds of megawatt-hours of electricity — can be dispatched within milliseconds to stabilize grid frequency, absorb sudden supply or demand swings, and keep power flowing during outages that would otherwise cascade across entire regions. Unlike fossil fuel plants that depend on continuous fuel delivery that can be disrupted by supply chain failures or extreme weather, utility-scale solar, wind and batteries can draw on and store an inexhaustible and universally available resource. Strategically sited large-scale storage can also defer or eliminate costly transmission upgrades, reducing infrastructure vulnerabilities.

America’s electrical grid was built for a different era, and geopolitical instability, supply chain issues, and extreme weather events are exposing just how fragile our power infrastructure can be. Distributed solar and battery storage fundamentally change this equation by decentralizing energy generation and putting power resources closer to where they’re actually needed. When a solar-plus-storage system is installed on a home, business, or community facility, it can continue operating even when the broader grid goes down, keeping critical loads like medical devices, refrigeration, and communications running. At a grid-wide level, a network of distributed solar and storage assets provides flexibility and redundancy that makes the entire system more robust and better able to absorb and recover from disruptions.

American manufacturing

The solar and storage boom is driving an unprecedented renaissance in American manufacturing. The sheer volume of components required — panels, inverters, steel racking, transmission equipment, and battery cells — has spurred billions of dollars in new domestic factory investment. Major manufacturers are opening and expanding facilities across the country to meet surging demand, creating anchor employers in communities that have seen industrial decline. Supply chains are deepening as component suppliers cluster around assembly hubs, multiplying the economic impact of each new facility.

The clean energy transition is one of the greatest manufacturing opportunities in a generation, requiring a vast supply chain of physical goods — goods that can and should be made by American workers in American factories. Supporting strong clean energy policies means supporting the factories, suppliers, and workers who make this industry possible right here at home.

American manufacturing

The solar and storage boom is driving an unprecedented renaissance in American manufacturing. The sheer volume of components required — panels, inverters, steel racking, transmission equipment, and battery cells — has spurred billions of dollars in new domestic factory investment. Major manufacturers are opening and expanding facilities across the country to meet surging demand, creating anchor employers in communities that have seen industrial decline. Supply chains are deepening as component suppliers cluster around assembly hubs, multiplying the economic impact of each new facility.

The clean energy transition is one of the greatest manufacturing opportunities in a generation, requiring a vast supply chain of physical goods — goods that can and should be made by American workers in American factories. Supporting strong clean energy policies means supporting the factories, suppliers, and workers who make this industry possible right here at home.

Domestic energy production & decreasing reliance on foreign energy sources

Clean energy deployment represents one of the most powerful tools available for achieving true American energy independence. Large solar installations across the Sun Belt, Midwest, and beyond can generate enormous quantities of electricity from a fuel source that is entirely domestic, inexhaustible, and immune to foreign supply disruptions or price manipulation. Battery storage facilities complement this by capturing surplus solar generation and dispatching it during evening hours or periods of peak demand, reducing reliance on imported natural gas to fill gaps in supply. The more of America’s baseload and peaking capacity that can be met by clean energy, the less exposure the country has to the geopolitical risks and commodity volatility that have historically made fossil fuel dependence a national security liability.

For too long, America’s energy security has been tied to global fossil fuel markets and the geopolitical instability that comes with them. Solar energy is the ultimate domestic resource — sunlight falls on American soil, and harnessing it requires no imports, no pipelines crossing foreign borders, and no exposure to the price volatility of international commodity markets. Robust clean energy industries means America can generate, store, and manage its own energy — on its own terms.

Domestic energy production & decreasing reliance on foreign energy sources

Clean energy deployment represents one of the most powerful tools available for achieving true American energy independence. Large solar installations across the Sun Belt, Midwest, and beyond can generate enormous quantities of electricity from a fuel source that is entirely domestic, inexhaustible, and immune to foreign supply disruptions or price manipulation. Battery storage facilities complement this by capturing surplus solar generation and dispatching it during evening hours or periods of peak demand, reducing reliance on imported natural gas to fill gaps in supply. The more of America’s baseload and peaking capacity that can be met by clean energy, the less exposure the country has to the geopolitical risks and commodity volatility that have historically made fossil fuel dependence a national security liability.

For too long, America’s energy security has been tied to global fossil fuel markets and the geopolitical instability that comes with them. Solar energy is the ultimate domestic resource — sunlight falls on American soil, and harnessing it requires no imports, no pipelines crossing foreign borders, and no exposure to the price volatility of international commodity markets. Robust clean energy industries means America can generate, store, and manage its own energy — on its own terms.

Addressing the climate crisis

The scientific consensus is clear: transitioning away from fossil fuels is essential to avoiding the worst consequences of climate change, and the electricity sector is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the United States. Clean energy produces electricity with zero direct emissions, directly reducing carbon emissions. Battery storage accelerates this transition by solving one of renewable energy’s key challenges — intermittency — enabling a cleaner grid to function reliably around the clock. Every solar panel installed and every battery deployed is a concrete step toward a more stable climate and a livable future for generations to come.

Addressing the climate crisis

The scientific consensus is clear: transitioning away from fossil fuels is essential to avoiding the worst consequences of climate change, and the electricity sector is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the United States. Clean energy produces electricity with zero direct emissions, directly reducing carbon emissions. Battery storage accelerates this transition by solving one of renewable energy’s key challenges — intermittency — enabling a cleaner grid to function reliably around the clock. Every solar panel installed and every battery deployed is a concrete step toward a more stable climate and a livable future for generations to come.

Households with high energy burdens

Low- and moderate-income households, as well as many communities of color, disproportionately bear the burden of high energy costs — often spending two to three times more of their household income on electricity and heating than wealthier neighbors. These same communities have historically been underserved by clean energy programs that skew toward homeownership and upfront investment. Expanding access to community solar, renter solar programs, and targeted storage incentives can change that calculus, delivering meaningful bill savings to those who need them most. Clean energy done right is an equity issue, and solar and storage have a critical role to play in ensuring the benefits of the energy transition reach every community — not just the most affluent ones.

Beyond this, the path to reducing energy burdens for low- and moderate-income households runs through the grid itself. When utility-scale solar and storage lower the wholesale cost of electricity, those savings reach every ratepayer — including renters, residents of multi-family housing, and households that lack the capital or roof space to go solar on their own. Regulators and utilities can pair large-scale clean energy procurement with targeted rate structures, and bill assistance programs, to help alleviate high-burdens for underserved communities.

Households with high energy burdens

Low- and moderate-income households, as well as many communities of color, disproportionately bear the burden of high energy costs — often spending two to three times more of their household income on electricity and heating than wealthier neighbors. These same communities have historically been underserved by clean energy programs that skew toward homeownership and upfront investment. Expanding access to community solar, renter solar programs, and targeted storage incentives can change that calculus, delivering meaningful bill savings to those who need them most. Clean energy done right is an equity issue, and solar and storage have a critical role to play in ensuring the benefits of the energy transition reach every community — not just the most affluent ones.

Beyond this, the path to reducing energy burdens for low- and moderate-income households runs through the grid itself. When utility-scale solar and storage lower the wholesale cost of electricity, those savings reach every ratepayer — including renters, residents of multi-family housing, and households that lack the capital or roof space to go solar on their own. Regulators and utilities can pair large-scale clean energy procurement with targeted rate structures, and bill assistance programs, to help alleviate high-burdens for underserved communities.

Job creation

The solar and storage industries are among the fastest-growing sources of employment in the American economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in installation, manufacturing, engineering, project development, and maintenance. These are good jobs — many of them union jobs, skilled trades that offer family-sustaining wages and don’t require a four-year college degree. And unlike some industries, clean energy jobs are inherently local: the sun can’t be offshored, and someone has to physically install and maintain these systems in communities across the country. As deployment of solar and storage continues to grow, so too will the workforce it supports, creating durable economic opportunity in rural, suburban, and urban communities alike.

Job creation

The solar and storage industries are among the fastest-growing sources of employment in the American economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in installation, manufacturing, engineering, project development, and maintenance. These are good jobs — many of them union jobs, skilled trades that offer family-sustaining wages and don’t require a four-year college degree. And unlike some industries, clean energy jobs are inherently local: the sun can’t be offshored, and someone has to physically install and maintain these systems in communities across the country. As deployment of solar and storage continues to grow, so too will the workforce it supports, creating durable economic opportunity in rural, suburban, and urban communities alike.