Biden set to break up BBB but poised to prioritise clean energy parts of bill

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
President Joe Biden during a visit to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory facility in Colorado in September. Image: NREL.

President Joe Biden believes he can win support for the energy and environmental initiatives included in his Build Back Better (BBB) Act, saying he is confident of getting “big chunks” of the US$1.75 billion legislation signed into law.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday to mark his first year in office, Biden said he has been “talking to a number of my colleagues” in Congress, adding: “I think it’s clear that we would be able to get support for the US$500-plus billion for energy and the environmental issues that are there.”

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Featuring clean energy and climate investments totalling US$555 billion, BBB includes expanded and extended solar investment tax credits (ITC) and support for domestic PV manufacturers, among a host of other green initiatives.  

Questioned on whether there is anything he is confident that he can get signed into law before the midterm elections later this year, Biden said: “I’m confident we can get pieces, big chunks of the Build Back Better law signed into law.”

He added: “I think we can break the package up, get as much as we can now, and come back and fight for the rest later.”

Negotiations to get BBB passed in the Senate hit a wall late last year as key Democrat Senator Joe Manchin said he would not support the legislation, claiming it would “risk the reliability” of the US’s electric grid.

With all 50 Republican Senators opposing the package, the White House needs to secure the support of Manchin to get the legislation passed in the Senate. It would also then need to be approved by the House, where the Democrats have a narrow majority.

The White House will proceed in its talks with Manchin privately, Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain told the Wall Street Journal.

Seen as the cornerstone of Biden’s strategy to slash the US’s greenhouse gas emissions 50-52% by 2030, BBB would scale up solar deployment as the country bids to reach a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

BloombergNEF predicts that the levelised cost of electricity for new US solar projects would decline by almost half in the next decade thanks to generous policy support in BBB, while Wood Mackenzie estimates that an extension of the ITC would boost solar installs 31% in the next five years.

US-based manufacturers have thrown their weight behind the legislation, with Dan Shugar, CEO of tracker provider Nextracker, saying that renewable energy provisions included in the act are “a green light” to US solar companies to “move rapidly to increase investment in people, factories, and raw materials”.

21 March 2024
4pm (GMT)
This special webinar will look at one of the most important changes impacting PV manufacturing today; how to establish and sustain new facilities around the world. For more than two decades, policy-makers have grappled with the challenges of nurturing domestic manufacturing sectors. Many countries have tried to create domestic sectors: Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Europe and the U.S. But success stories have been rare. Mistakes seem to be repeated. And all the while, Chinese dominance of the industry has only increased. However, in the past 2-3 years, new drivers have emerged that suggest the dream of a global PV manufacturing ecosystem could be a reality. Join us as we shed light on this.
21 May 2024
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 21-22 May 2024, will be our third PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2025 and beyond.
8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
March 19, 2024
Texas, USA
Solar Media Events
March 26, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA