Solar Industry Shows Hope After US Election, Focuses On Key Message

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Let’s be honest — even with humongous, epic control of Congress like we haven’t seen in several decades, Democrats can’t really do anything legislatively unless Donald Trump wants to, and there’s a super slim chance Trump would do anything to support clean energy. He is extremely anti clean energy and pro fossil fuels. It would have to be some wild compromise for Trump to do anything supporting solar power, and you can completely forget about any support ever for wind power. Nonetheless, it’s better to have Democrats in power in the Senate and the House with the intent of supporting solar rather than fossil-bought politicians trying to hamper it and push more pollution on all of us.

Also, hey, maybe Democrats could find a way to sneak some solar support into some much bigger legislation somewhere?

Anyway, this is how the CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Tim Pawlenty, has responded to the election results: “Energy affordability was a key issue in this election, reflecting the real pressures facing American households and businesses. The solar and storage industry looks forward to working with newly elected federal and state leaders to bring more affordable, reliable power online and deliver the energy savings Americans are demanding.”

That statement also gives a hint of where there is huge potential for the industry. About three quarters of the country now live in a state that will be controlled by a Democratic governor! A lot of things can be done at the state level to support solar power.

One important thing is to keep the messaging consistent and clear: solar power is about making electricity costs more affordable, preventing long-term rising costs that come from fossil fuels. SEIA is clearly quite good at such messaging, but that needs to remain a central focus across the industry.