On Sep. 8, the Biden administration announced a new solar power blueprint. This attempt at addressing our current climate change crisis shows how the United States could use solar power to account for over 50 percent of the nation’s electricity source by 2050. Solar power currently accounts for only 3 percent of electricity here in the United States. Experts say that we would have to double solar power facilities every year for the remainder of Biden’s term for the United States to achieve this rapid growth. Then, we would have to double installations again by 2030. In other words, by 2030, we would have to quadruple our current rate of solar power installations.
According to climate scientists, while this would transform the nation’s current energy industry and the way people live, a profound change like this is needed for us to begin to fight off the worst effects of global warming. President Biden addressed other steps his administration would like to take to fight off the effects of climate change. He also announced that he wanted half of all new cars sold to be electric by 2030. Unfortunately, achieving this plan would cost trillions of dollars. The energy department’s calculations showed that since the cost of solar panels has gone down significantly, they could produce 40 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2035. This is enough to power all of the homes in the United States!
The new proposal comes after President Biden toured the damage in New York City brought by Hurricane Ida. Biden emphasized a need to reach net-carbon zero emissions by 2050 to combat the current climate crisis. The President of the Solar Industries Association, Abigail Ross Hopper, stated that the quick change that the Biden administration is seeking is “only going to happen through smart policy decisions.” According to her, that is the part where having a goal is important, but having clear steps on how to get there is the issue.
The Biden Administration has been making a case that the U.S. needs to act quickly and address these issues before it’s too late. The President himself even stated that “The nation and the world are in peril.” The Biden administration’s plan for this solar power blueprint uses tax credits to encourage solar power systems. They have also proposed that local governments make it easier and quicker to obtain permits for these projects. While lawmakers have not sorted out all of the details for this proposal, solar industry officials have praised this move by the Biden administration. According to them, this blueprint shows people what is possible even though we haven’t seen the results yet.
Bernadette Del Chiara, the California Solar and Storage Association executive director, stated that: “This simple call to action should guide every policymaking decision from city councils to legislators and regulatory agencies across the country.” If put into action, this blueprint would allow us to make great strides toward fighting climate change. Regardless of political stance, this is a great step towards bettering our planet and our future!
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