The Ultra Low-Carbon Solar Alliance applauds the release of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Its energy provisions are good news for the US economy and will significantly expand domestic solar manufacturing, bringing new jobs and strengthened energy independence to the country.
The International Energy Agency and National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently released extensive reports outlining the delays, costs, supply risks, human rights concerns, and high carbon emissions we face in the current overconcentrated solar supply chain dominated by China. The energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 stand to put the US in a strong competitive stance in solar manufacturing as India and the EU race to build large domestic solar industries in response to these risks. The bill paves the way for significant investments across the American solar supply chain that will rapidly accelerate the growth already underway.
The IEA estimates that a US solar production base equal to our projected 2026 solar demand could create some 40,000 US solar manufacturing jobs on top of the 230,000 Americans already working in the installation end of the solar industry. The DOE has estimated that making and deploying enough solar to decarbonize the grid would at least double those jobs numbers. Bringing manufacturing to the US will also have significant environmental benefits, as our low-carbon manufacturing produces significantly lower emissions than Chinese solar manufacturing.
We encourage Congress to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 without delay.