Solar Industry
In a speech before a friendly crowd at Georgetown University on June 25, President Barack Obama said the U.S. has a moral obligation to future generations to leave them a planet that is not polluted and damaged. While solar energy was not front and center in the president’s action plan to counter climate change, certainly some specific initiatives will benefit the solar sector.
Reiterating his belief that climate change is an indisputable fact, Obama has outlined a policy designed to combat carbon pollution supported by three pillars of interest to the power generation industry: cutting carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants, investing in more renewable energy and enhancing conservation efforts. The keystone of the program is a directive for the Environmental Protection Agency to complete a set of stringent carbon pollution standards for both new and existing power plants.
Nevertheless, clean energy was not forgotten. The Obama Administration took credit for doubling generation of electricity from wind, solar and geothermal during its tenure, pointing out that the Department of the Interior (DOI) has approved 25 utility-scale solar facilities since 2009. Obama has set a goal to double renewable electricity generation once again by 2020. In order to meet this target, the administration has announced a number of new efforts:
Related: Action on Climate Will Still Be a State Affair
L.A. program lets DWP pay customers to generate power
