House Committees plot route to 100% ‘clean economy’ in the US by 2050

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Source: Flickr/bclinesmith.

A trio of House committee chairs have introduced a plan to transition the US to shift to a “100% clean economy” by 2050.

A series of meetings and consultations will be launched to draw on a wide pool of relevant stakeholders. The results of those meetings will then inform a piece of legislation with the 2050 target at its heart.

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

The chairs of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Environment and Climate Change and the Energy sub-committees revealed details of the plan in a statement on Tuesday evening.

“The climate crisis is here, and it requires serious federal leadership that’s up for the challenge,” said Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce committee. “Today, we are announcing a plan that will help us produce comprehensive legislation to reach a 100% clean economy by 2050. This is an ambitious but necessary goal, and we’re committed to working hand-in-hand with all stakeholders across the country to get the job done.”

Environment and Climate Change Chairman Paul Tonko (D-NY) hinted at the role renewables could play in the legislation.

“Much has changed in the decade since Congress last considered a comprehensive climate plan, including transformative advances in clean energy technology and a far deeper understanding of climate science and the cost of continued inaction,” said Tonko. “For the sake of the American people, and the public health and safety of the communities we represent, we cannot afford to fail. We have a plan to get the job done, and that exactly what we intend to do.”

Wednesday’s hearing of the Environment and Climate Change subcommittee, Pathways for Decarbonizing the US Economy, marks the first in the series of contributions towards the legislation. A separate hearing on the modernisation of the electric grid will be held in due course.

Erin Duncan, vice president of congressional affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) welcomed the move.

“Moving to 100% clean energy by 2050 will require solar deployment at a massive scale, and our companies are ready to deliver with the right policies in place, such as an extension of the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC),” said Duncan.

“We’ve set an industry goal to make the 2020s the Solar+ Decade, with solar accounting for 20% of our nation’s electricity mix by 2030. This goal, alongside the goal announced today by House leaders, is achievable, but only with successful policy. The ITC serves as the best way to add solar deployment today and will provide continued stability and investment opportunity for solar while policymakers debate long-term plans for our energy future.”

Last week saw a ramping up of the campaign to extend the life of the ITC. The SEIA told PV Tech the move could increase solar’s share of the generation mix from 12% to 16% in 2030.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 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.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth 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 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

July 1, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Arevon Energy has closed a US$600 million credit facility to support its solar PV and energy storage portfolio in the US.
June 30, 2025
Heliene has completed the sale of Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credits in association with Minnesota-based U.S. Bank.
June 30, 2025
Voting on the US tax reconciliation bill is expected to begin in the Senate today, following a draft published on Friday that hit clean energy tax credits hard.
June 30, 2025
US clean energy developer Clearway Energy Group has received corporate credit facilities over US$1 billion.
June 26, 2025
A round-up of news from the US solar sector this week, including Akuo, Meta and RWE.
June 26, 2025
A group of minority shareholders in Norwegian silicon firm REC Silicon has triggered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the closure of the company’s US polysilicon production site.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA