Reports come as President Joe Biden pushes for aggressive action on climate change
New York, United States:
The Biden administration said on Wednesday that the United States should aim to achieve about 50 percent of its electricity supply from solar power by mid-century, unveiling the latest component of its climate change strategy.
A report released by the Department of Energy (DOE) said solar could contribute 40 percent of electricity supply by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050, up from just three percent of its current level.
However, reaching this level would require the United States to quadruple its annual solar capacity addition, the department said in a statement.
This future depends on widespread public investment in power grids originally built to power electricity from coal and natural gas, as well as policy changes to discourage carbon-based energy, the department said.
The report comes as President Joe Biden pushes for aggressive action on climate change and renewable energy as Congress debates major proposals to overhaul the country’s infrastructure against a backdrop of worsening tropical storms and wildfires in the United States. Is.
It also comes on the heels of a White House announcement last month that set a 2030 target for half of all cars sold in the United States to be zero-emissions – another bold goal that will drive public policies, To become a reality will depend on the confluence of private sector investment and consumer preference.
Dan Pickering, founder of Pickering Energy Partners in Houston, said Biden’s solar targets are “aspirational not practical,” along with other ambitious climate goals such as “net zero” emissions by 2050.
“Trillions will be spent trying to get there. Moving that direction effectively is extremely important … and extremely valuable.”
– Congress debate –
The DOE release contained some policy objectives, but leaves much of the details and decisions up to Congress.
The report estimates that construction will cost an additional $562 billion by 2050, but does not set a target for a public share of the investment.
The analysis called the investment cost-effective, adding that some $1.7 trillion would eventually be saved through “avoiding climate damage and improved air quality”.
The big boom in deployment rests on “continuous technological advancements” that will limit electricity prices and increase the storage capacity of solar power to build in the resilience.
“The study highlights the fact that solar, our cheapest and fastest growing source of clean energy, could produce enough electricity to power all homes in the US by 2035,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
“Achieving this bright future requires a large-scale and equitable deployment of renewable energy and robust decarbonization policies – exactly what has been set out in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. “
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package focuses mainly on roads and bridges, leaving significant climate-related investments to the $3.5 trillion plan backed by Biden’s Democratic Party that faces long hurdles. does.
But congressional Republicans have balked at Biden’s strategy, a particularly large package.
American for Prosperity, a liberal advocacy group backed by the Koch Brothers, has dismissed a total of $4.7 trillion in planned legislations as a “useless, partisan wish list” and called on Washington to “stop the spending spree.”
But Biden highlighted the need for action during a Tuesday visit to parts of New York and New Jersey ravaged by Hurricane Ida last week, saying the world was facing a “code red” threat to the climate.
The report comes as the Solar Energy Industry Association on Wednesday called for dynamic action to expand solar power, including a long-term extension of the solar investment tax credit and other policies promoting clean energy.
SEIA backed Biden’s plan on Twitter, saying, “With significant policy progress, we can achieve the blueprint set out in this @ENERGY study. Let’s get it done.”
Also supporting the target was environmental group NRDC, which called on Congress to “fully fund clean power investments in the current budget process to make this plan a reality”.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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