The U.S. solar industry unveiled a new lobbying agenda on Thursday, aiming to present itself as a domestic job creator poised to meet rising electricity demands, while avoiding any mention of its role in addressing climate change, according to a report at Reuters.
This approach reflects a significant pivot for the solar sector, which benefited greatly from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a signature climate change law passed under outgoing President Joe Biden which also offered tax breaks for the renewables sector. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal the IRA, though such action would require congressional approval.
U.S. Solar Industry’s Priorities
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the leading U.S. solar trade group, outlined its top priorities for Trump’s first 100 days in office. The agenda emphasizes solar energy’s importance to U.S. energy security and includes calls for expanding domestic solar manufacturing to reduce reliance on China. It also advocates for easing restrictions on infrastructure investments and grid connections for solar projects.
SEIA’s policy recommendations focus on keeping taxes low and promoting consumer energy choices, framing solar as critical to meeting increasing electricity needs for new growth industries. “Solar is critical to meeting America’s growing need for electricity and providing power for manufacturing, data centers, cryptocurrency, and AI,” said SEIA CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.
SEIA’s roadmap notably omits references to climate change or the IRA, marking a departure from its 2020 agenda, which heavily emphasized solar’s role in decarbonizing the energy sector and included advocacy for carbon pricing.
The trade group also avoided addressing tariffs, a topic it had previously pushed the Biden administration to reconsider. SEIA has historically opposed tariffs that raise costs for solar installers, though Trump has pledged to use them extensively as part of his economic platform.
SEIA highlighted that U.S. solar capacity grew by 128% during Trump’s first term, signaling optimism for further growth under policies that support public land development, enhanced grid access, and increased domestic manufacturing.
