Clean (head)winds

Jun 01, 2023 View in browser   By Jordan Wolman With help from Kelsey Tamborrino THE BIG PICTURE Source: American Clean Power Association Last year was the year of the Inflation Reduction Act. It was also the year of decline in new renewable energy installations in the U.S. Supply chain constraints, interconnection issues and policy uncertainty resulted in significant delays in clean power projects coming online, according to a report from the American Clean Power Association. Last year saw 15 percent fewer installations compared with 2021, making it the first time in five years that industry experienced a decline. Solar accounted for 68 percent of the delayed capacity, due primarily to trade restrictions making it difficult to source panels. Those delays underscore the need to speed up the permitting process for clean energy projects, the trade group argued. The setbacks have continued into this year. The first quarter of 2023 saw a 36 percent drop in installations compared with last year, marking the slowest start to a year since 2020. Maintaining last year’s project installation volume through 2035 would provide only 30 percent of what's needed to reach a net-zero grid by then, the report said. “The clean energy transition will not succeed unless Congress and governors enable the siting and construction of new energy facilities and support the build-out of transmission that is required to bring clean power to the people,” Jason Grumet, ACP's CEO, said in a statement. In total, industry added 531 clean power projects last year across 47 states for nearly 26 gigawatts of electricity last year — with more than 53 GW of clean power capacity experiencing delays and unable to come online. Texas saw the most new renewable energy added by far, with California coming in second – where a sizable portion of the new projects in that state were in energy storage. That technology experienced a record year in 2022 with an 80 percent increase in total operating storage capacity. All 50 states have operational clean power capacity, and new projects were added in all but three — West Virginia, North Dakota and Wyoming. Source: American Clean Power Association Wind and solar generation accounts for 15 percent of the nation’s electrical power generation. Iowa is the state most reliant on those sources, clocking in at 63 percent — up from 56 percent last year. Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi rely on clean energy sources for less than 1 percent of their total electricity generation. Still, the Inflation Reduction Act is spurring unprecedented momentum, the report said. Since the climate law was signed last August, the U.S. clean energy industry has announced 47 new clean energy manufacturing facilities or expansions resulting in 18,000 manufacturing jobs. Nearly 81 percent of capacity is installed in low-income counties, and roughly 80 percent is installed in Republican-held congressional districts. There are now nearly as many workers employed in clean power as in the coal and natural gas extraction and generation sectors combined. Also, corporate renewable power purchasing agreements in 2022 fell 3 percent shy of the record set in 2021. Meta and Amazon led the way in power purchases among corporations.   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.     YOU TELL US GAME ON — Welcome to the Long Game, where we tell you about the latest on efforts to shape our future. We deliver data-driven storytelling, compelling interviews with industry and political leaders, and news Tuesday through Friday to keep you in the loop on sustainability. Team Sustainability is editor Greg Mott, deputy editor Debra Kahn, and reporters Jordan Wolman and Allison Prang. Reach us at gmott@politico.com, dkahn@politico.com, jwolman@politico.com and aprang@politico.com. Want more? You can have it. Sign up for the Long Game. Four days a week and still free. That’s sustainability!   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW.     WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — The Economist, being the Economist, is highlighting what it sees as the potentially dire consequences of a global decline in fertility. — Shareholders at ExxonMobil and Chevron are increasing giving the cold shoulder to proxy proposals aimed at addressing global warming, the Wall Street Journal reports. — In California, experts are teaching landowners to conduct prescribed burns as a way to help reduce wildfire risks. Reuters has the story.   Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman Allison Prang @AllisonPrang   Follow us

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