Over the past 50 years, there have been a couple of significant efforts to move the U.S. towards the widespread adoption of clean energy such as solar power. The first, during last decades of the 20th century, was driven by values. The term “tree huggers” was used to describe the people who believed that protecting the environment was simply the right thing to do. But even after four decades of moral-based clean energy advocacy, only a tenth of one percent of U.S. electricity came from solar power.
A second clean energy era was driven by economics. The Investment tax credit of 2006 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 drove record solar deployment. By 2024, solar power was accounting for more an 80% of all new electrical generating capacity added to the grid. For most parts of the country, solar generates electricity at comparable or lower costs than other technologies.
But now, a third clean energy era is being driven by a desire for independence. People are increasingly feeling that external forces are governing their lives. The war in Iran is driving up gas prices. Blackouts are increasingly common in an aging electricity grid. Energy bills keep going up.
People worry about the next crisis, whatever it may be. They want control. As a result, this spring, requests for home solar systems paired with battery storage jumped 21%. Used EV sales rose 17% in a single quarter. Interest in clean energy is accelerating faster than at any point in history. Green energy is no longer just a lifestyle choice. It represents an economic and even psychological barrier against the uncertainties of the modern world.
