“We are pleased to see the Biden-Harris administration launch new initiatives to expand solar access across the country. Community solar is one of the best ways to help more low- and middle-income (LMI) families access the cost-saving benefits of solar, but the cumbersome and lengthy application process to qualify as an LMI -housekeeping is often a deterrent to the very families we are trying to help.
“The Association of Solar Energy Industries (UNTIL) has recommended that both the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and state governments relax LMI requirements for LMI and streamline community solar subscription for LMI customers. DOE’s new pilot program will connect families to community solar through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and other low-income assistance programs, which will no doubt help more LMI communities enjoy the benefits of clean and reliable solar energy. to get.
“We commend DOE for taking targeted action and creating a program that addresses one of the biggest challenges in gaining solar customers from the community.”
Thanks to UNTIL.
IBEW, SEIA Call on Congress to Return to the Negotiating Table to Pass Climate Legislation
To: All members of the United States Congress
Regarding: IBEW, SEIA Call on Congress to Return to the Negotiating Table to Pass Climate Legislation
Dear Congressman:
On behalf of the more than 775,000 active and retired members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and members of the Solar Energies Industries Association (SEIA), the national trade association for the U.S. solar industry, we urge members of the Congress on to go back to the negotiating table and pass pro-worker, pro-growth, anti-inflationary climate legislation. We believe there is broad support for the legislation, which will be a boon to the US economy and provide critical climate relief.
The clean energy transformation our country needs to tackle climate change requires a comprehensive approach, including well-trained, highly skilled union workers and hundreds of billions of dollars of private sector investment in U.S. manufacturing, workforce development and deployment of solar energy and storage. The legislation now being debated in Congress will also reduce the deficit and lower inflation.
Our organizations represent the people whose work is helping to reverse climate change and investment in the workforce and infrastructure needed to achieve a robust, equitable clean energy economy.
IBEW and SEIA support pending proposals, including:
- Tax incentives for clean energy and electric car charging with applicable wage and apprenticeship requirements for construction, remodeling or repair work greater than 1 megawatt, both for contractors and subcontractors
- Domestic clean energy content requirements and tax incentives for electric vehicle charging
- The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act
- A new tax relief for stand-alone energy storage
- Support for interstate transmission lines and zero-emission buildings
- Increased clean energy investment in low-income communities that will create high-paying union jobs and address equality and environmental justice.
Falling costs have contributed to the growth of solar and battery storage. According to a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, according to a study by Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, at least 160 gigawatts of solar power is being developed with co-located batteries, representing nearly 34 percent of the solar power currently in the queue. In the United States, nearly 40 percent of planned solar projects have battery storage co-location.
Deploying solar and storage will reduce inflation for all U.S. energy consumers, according to reports from Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Rhodium Group, among others.
This legislation links labor standards to an aggressive development in the field of solar energy. With it, we can create the jobs needed to build a strong economy, prosperity for all Americans, and an important tool to fight inflation. Without it, we face a troubling climate future and a missed opportunity to regain global leadership on climate. Members of Congress, we beg you to enter into a US energy deal.
Honestly,
Lonnie R. Stephenson, IBEW President
Abigail Ross HopperPresident and CEO of SEIA
Previous story: SEIA CEO Abigail Hopper on the future of solar — #CleanTechnica Interview
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