USA a Solar Champion at COP29? – CleanTechnica

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The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) put out a story yesterday that caught my attention. The title of the organization’s article was “America’s New Role at COP29: Global Solar Champion.” My first thought was, “Great, the US is doing something good on solar at COP29.” My next thought was, “Wait, how can SEIA claim US leadership on solar when Donald Trump has just been elected again?” Well, for now, I guess we can celebrate the big solar successes of the Biden administration, or even go back decades, and we can even still hope that Trump won’t throw a grenade on the US solar industry.

“Clean energy has played a central role in these negotiations and is often looked at as one of the top solutions to fight climate change. Last year at COP28, 200 countries pledged to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, an ambitious target with a tight deadline,” SEIA writes.

“As world leaders gather in Baku, Azerbaijan for COP29, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is attending for the first time, lending its voice and expertise to this urgent conversation. Alongside its global counterparts, SEIA will offer guidance on how to proactively and responsibly manage the growing renewables industry, from strengthening supply chains and opening international markets to securing critical minerals and expanding storage adoption.”

Ah, well, here we go — we’re talking about practical advice on supply chain matters! For sure, SEIA has expertise on these kinds of matters, as the US has been one of the biggest buyers and installers of solar panels on the planet. It can certainly offer guidance to many smaller nations. Additionally, different regions of the country have incorporated a lot of energy storage to help integrate solar, and SEIA has integrated the storage matter into its own work much more.

“The United States is the second largest solar adopter in the world and is going to play a critical part in reaching the COP28 goal to triple renewable energy capacity,” SEIA adds.

“To meet this goal, global renewable energy capacity needs to grow to 11 terawatts and about 60% can come from global solar capacity. To stay on track, over the next six years the United States needs to install an extra 30 gigawatts of solar capacity over current expectations. If the world reaches this goal, U.S. solar will represent about 9% of global renewable energy capacity.

“This target is achievable because the U.S. solar market has been booming since the Inflation Reduction Act passed two years ago. Since then, solar module manufacturing has quadrupled, deployment has surged, and, over the next 5 years, the U.S. solar and storage industry is expected to add at least 200 GW of new solar capacity, nearly the same amount of solar that we currently have installed today.”

Yes, indeed, well … let’s again hope that Trump doesn’t try to crush the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It’s unclear what will happen in that regard, since Trump has been extremely pro-fossil fuels in the past and loves to talk trash about renewable energy. Also, while the Inflation Reduction Act never would have been passed by Republicans and Republican members of the House and Senate voted against it, it’s now funding major manufacturing and supply chain projects in different states across the country, and it could be political suicide for some of those members of Congress to kill it. So, if I had to bet money on it, I’d guess that Republicans in Congress won’t pull the plug on the IRA. Let’s hope they don’t….

“The Inflation Reduction Act has done more to expand domestic manufacturing than any other piece of legislation in American history and that is helping to accelerate the politics of the energy transition.”

This is what I’ve been saying. Though, unfortunately, I haven’t seen it said nearly enough. It’s great to see SEIA acting bold (if we can call it that) and telling it how it is.

“Around 70-80% of all IRA investments have flowed to conservative districts and solar enjoys broad, bipartisan support. President-elect Donald Trump has an opportunity to promote American leadership abroad and showcase the growth of domestic manufacturing during COP.”

Boom. There we go. Will the Republican Congresspeople representing those districts be willing to cancel the IRA? I think and hope not.

To close, here’s a little more from SEIA on what it plans to do at COP29:

“Trade associations like SEIA also have an important role to play at COP. As the industry experts, SEIA will highlight the opportunities for renewable energy and catalyze the action behind it. SEIA will advocate for investments in scaling solar around the world, and collaborative trade policies that ensure the high-quality infrastructure made in America is available to bolster each country’s solar journey — and ultimately create a more sustainable, secure, and safe world.

“This year’s COP comes at a critical moment. Solar and storage continue to break records and beat expectations, but tripling capacity will require tangible outcomes and strengthened international collaboration. SEIA is ready to lead the way for U.S. industry by building strategic partnerships, collaborating on international policy, and laying the foundation for solar and storage to power economies all around the world.”