US solar energy advocates need to emulate the oil and gas industry and become more effective in political lobbying, a former senior advisor to President Barack Obama has said.
In an interview with PV Tech, Jon Powers, president of investment firm CleanCapital and Obama’s erstwhile energy security advisor, said although the PV industry had to some extent “grown up”, it still needed to continue to develop its political engagement.
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“We as an industry have to be more active in politics,” he said.
Powers highlighted how the oil and gas industry had “for decades” successfully lobbied politicians. “Now we have to do it in a new way in our own industry,” Powers said.
“[In 2020, the last presidential election cycle] we had just got started,” Powers added. “Now, we are a much more politically active industry – and we should be. We’re no longer an alternative industry, we are soon to be the mainstream energy industry in the US. We’ve grown up a lot, and my hope is that we continue that trend because it’s not just about November [elections], it’s about putting in place the broader infrastructure to grow.”
Solar and the presidential election
Regarding the forthcoming presidential election, Powers was confident that the momentum already behind the clean energy transition would enable it to survive a Donald Trump victory.
He agreed a Trump presidency would create “a lot of uncertainty” for the solar industry, but added:
“We will continue to do well as an industry regardless; the trends are very clear.”
To read our interview with Jon Powers in full, including his views on how successful the roll-out of the Inflation Reduction Act has been so far, visit PV Tech Premium (subscription required).
