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Within a decade, more than half of the electricity generated in the U.S. will come from clean, renewable resources supported by energy storage, according to a joint commitment today from the American wind, solar, hydropower, and energy storage industries. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), National Hydropower Association (NHA), and Energy Storage Association (ESA) have agreed to actively collaborate across their industry segments to achieve this target.
The four industries have released a set of joint advocacy principles that will enable them to realize this bold vision of a majority renewables grid. Along with increased collaboration, these shared principles include building a more resilient, efficient, sustainable, and affordable grid; achieving carbon reductions; and advancing greater competition through fair market rules. Each of these areas is critical to attaining the shared vision for 2030.
The leaders of the four industry associations gathered today to announce the shared vision during the first CLEANPOWER annual conference for businesses across the renewable and clean energy spectrum.
American Wind Energy Association
Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association commented that, the collaborative promise has set the stage to deliver on the American electric grid of the future powered by wind, solar, hydropower, and storage. Market opportunities for projects that included a mix of technologies have opened up that did not exist even a few years ago and the demand is growing for integrated renewable energy options. Individually and cooperatively, those sectors would continue growing to meet the demand and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs to strengthen economies from coast to coast, building a better, cleaner tomorrow. In the face of significant challenges the country has been currently facing across pandemic, economic, climate and social injustice problems, they are prepared to help lead toward a healthier and more equitable future.
Solar Energy Industries Association
Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association stated that, the principles were just another step towards realizing their vision for a Solar+ Decade. In the face of the dreadful pandemic, their nation needs to chart a path forward that would put a premium on innovation, jobs recovery and a smarter approach to energy generation. The right policies would make a growing American economy fueled by clean energy a reality for all Americans.
National Hydropower Association
The path towards an affordable, reliable, carbon-free electricity grid starts by harnessing the immense potential of hydropower, wind, solar and storage to work together. Today, hydropower and pumped storage have been force multipliers that provided the grid with the flexibility needed to integrate other renewables onto the grid. By adding new generation onto existing non-powered dams and developing 15 GW of new pumped storage hydropower capacity, they can help accelerate the development of a clean energy electricity grid, stated Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO of the National Hydropower Association.
Energy Storage Association
ESA CEO Kelly Speakes-Backman commented that, they were pleased to join forces with other clean energy friends to substantially reduce carbon emissions by 2030, building a more resilient, efficient, sustainable, and affordable grid for generations to come. A majority of generation supplied by renewable energy represented a significant change in the way they operated the grid, and the storage industry was a fundamental asset to provide the flexibility that a more modern, decarbonized grid would require. They looked forward to actively collaborating with their colleagues to make the vision a reality by 2030.
