SolarIndustryMag.com: The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar

The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar

by Jessica Lillian on Wednesday 07 November 2012

With President Barack Obama now elected to a second term, will the U.S. solar market continue its pace of expansion? Although the solar sector's membership comprises voters with diverse political views, most industry leaders characterize the Obama win as a positive for the continued development of solar projects large and small.

Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), expressed high hopes for the U.S. solar sector under Obama's second term. "If the next 4 years are as good as the last 4 then solar will finally be a big part of our energy in the US," he tweeted after Obama was declared the winner.

In fact, since President Obama took office, the U.S.' solar deployment total has grown by more than 400%, according to a statement from Resch. In 2008, the U.S. had 1,100 MW of solar online; now, the total has reached more than 5,700 MW.

"With President Obama's victory tonight, the renewable energy industry keeps an important ally in the White House," wrote Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy and chairman of the board at SEIA, in a post-election blog post.

"The win comes at a time when energy is rising in national importance," Harris continued. "Given the extent to which the opposition made renewable energy an issue, I think the president’s win gives him a mandate to make clean energy a key part of the agenda for his second term."

During his campaign for the presidency against Republican candidate Mitt Romney, Obama repeatedly touted his record on renewables. Under his administration, the U.S. doubled its production of clean energy, as he stated during the presidential debates.

For the solar sector, Obama's first term also brought an expanded loan guarantee program from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), numerous investments in solar through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the launch of the DOE's SunShot Initiative, and the opening of huge swaths of land in the West to utility-scale solar development, among other efforts.

Policy specifics for the next four years, of course, remain yet to be determined. The divisive environment that characterized Obama's first term will likely continue, as Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives, while Democrats retained control of the Senate. Republican leaders in the House and Senate have indicated that they plan to assertively fight Obama's plans, according to the New York Times.

The president and his allies in the House and Senate may still push for pro-renewables legislation. For instance, at Solar Power International in October, former president Bill Clinton said he expected Obama to at least seek to reinstate the U.S. Department of Treasury's Section 1603 cash-grant program, which expired at the end of last year.

Election night also brought victories for several policymakers in the House and Senate who are viewed as renewable energy advocates - including Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who sought to bring back 1603 earlier this year via a proposed amendment to a highway transportation bill.

However, the renewable energy sector also took at least two hits on Election Day. In Michigan, voters rejected Proposal 3, which would have increased the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 25% by 2025 by amending the state's constitution.

"Voters clearly recognized that the state's constitution is not the place for costly energy policy," stated Howard Edelson, campaign manager for the CARE for Michigan Coalition, which opposed the measure. "The overwhelming rejection of Proposal 3 is an endorsement that the state's existing energy policy is working."

Meanwhile, in Arizona, the so-called solar team - Democrats Paul Newman, Sandra Kennedy and Marcia Busching - failed to win any seats on the powerful Arizona Corporation Commission in the state, which controls public utilities and can push for RPS increases.

According to the Phoenix Times, the trio was defeated by three Republicans, which means that the commission will be 100% Republican for at least two years. The newly elected members have stated that they do not oppose solar, as a rule, but that incentives must be phased out.

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Comments

	gtrup01	Reply
	07 Nov : 11:52
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar He might be good for Chinese solar producers and Jigr Shah and the installers of Chinese modules!

	Solardude	Reply
	07 Nov : 11:58
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar This is great news for solar, however, the fight is not won just the battle. To get to grid parity, we need to get to the point where all energy sources operate in a market condition with no subsidies for any source. Let the people decide whether they want solar, oil, nuclear, or gas. All energy sources are needed to some degree, but only when a free market exists will the true winner rise to the top. I am confident that in the long run the people will choose clean renewable energy for the best interest of the world.

	Solarmanke	Reply
	18 Nov : 09:28
	Re: The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Waving the "Free Market" flag is little more than a distraction here. The Burn-tec and nuke venues are allowed free pollution rights without responsibility or possible correction. In order to level the field, solar venues need production incentives, not product expense increases. Reason tells me production incentives like SRECs, done equitably and with stabil oversight, are necessary to provide fairness in overall energy costs to the population and allow "freely distributed solar energy" to achieve it's much needed and healthy benefits to be for everyone, not just Corporations and Ute's.

	bnwitt	Reply
	07 Nov : 12:04
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Nothing happens without the house. We just re-elected someone who refuses to reach across the aisle and compromise. Take a good look at the Market today.There can be no great news for Solar if the economy stays as is.

	Anonymous	Reply
	18 Nov : 09:37
	Re: The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar As much as "money only" investors would would like the USA to honor protecting their idle wealth, 'wall streeters' actually produce little in energy or hardware for real benefit. We do need functional policies to move adoption to the mainstream before any 'money manipulators' need to be allowed to revel in the potentials.

	David Lewenz	Reply
	07 Nov : 12:16
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar With an Obama Win, There is no chance of the EPA Clean air legislation changing for coal fired plants. The new admission standards go into effect in 2016, this by its self will put solar on parity with electrical generation rates for new gas fired plants and clean coal fired plants. Consumers will see electrical rates increase in some markets 35%. By 2016. Solar will be on a clear trajectory for steady growth moving forward

	Leroy Achoy	Reply
	07 Nov : 13:55
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Obamas win just means that we are on the road to HELL. The Commie will destroy our nation. We will be looking like South Africa in a few years. GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC!!!!

	Feedback	Reply
	07 Nov : 15:22
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Obama's win maybe a short term boost to Solar and other renewables but if the economy does not recover or falls over a cliff then all energy will sources will suffer. Cheap energy is opportunity and solar is not cheap energy. Countries like China understand this and will continue to produce their products with cheap dirty coal while Americans consumes those products with borrowed dollars from China. Obama's election will not change the world's pollution levels. America is just going to have higher energy costs and greater wealth transfer to the third world. American's will soon run out of borrowed dollars to spend for those cheaper Chinese products because of our artificially high energy costs. Think about a broke America with out a reliable energy source and no wealth to recover from the folly of Obama. That is the future for you and your children.

	Muir Woods	Reply
	07 Nov : 16:08
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Cleantech entrepreneurs should be thankful for four more years of hostile neglect instead of four years of neglectful hostility.

	CleanGreen	Reply
	07 Nov : 16:52
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Free Market is essential to Solar Growth and for it to work appropriately the TRUE cost of energy must reflect the full product impact including the environmental consequence of the spent fuel. The fossil fuel industry off loads their pollution consequence (who pays for the $20b damage from Sandy?). When will conservatives apply the Personal Responsibility value to industry? When oil gas and coal price includes the cost of damage and clean up, solar is vastly cheaper and the most competitive alternative.

	Sun2Energy Renewables	Reply
	08 Nov : 11:26
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar This election was about who offered the most people "FREE STUFF". Free always sells. Our industry through the financing vehicles that companies like SolarCity and Clean Power Finance has put together along with the Bush Renewable Tax Credits has now given us the opportunity to sell every home and business in America solar in the next four years for "FREE". With no upfront costs for the consumer and lower energy costs for the end user all Americans once Cap and Trade is implemented our industry has a bright future. It is a no brainer that Obama's election and the industry's evolution in finance has secured great future for renewable energy.

	Leroy Achoy	Reply
	09 Nov : 10:40
	The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar Sun2Energy Renewables YOU MUST HAVE VOTED FOR OBAMA AS YOU SUPPORT SUCKING OFF THE GOVT. TEAT ROMNEY WAS RIGHT 47% ARE FREELOADER AND THE ONES WHO WORK WILL BE PAYING FOR THEIR FREELOADING

	Anonymous	Reply
	18 Nov : 09:48
	Re: The Next Four Years: Voters Re-Elect An 'Important Ally' For Solar If "freeloading" is making use of non-polluting energy sources instead of working with conservatives to destroy the life support of earth, then yah, I am also a "freeloader". .........BTW, I voted Green Party. Did you?

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