The American Clean Power Association (ACP) has released data showing that unprecedented federal support has led to the announcement of private investments totaling $271 billion in domestic clean energy projects and manufacturing facilities over the past 12 months. This exceeds the combined clean energy investments made over the previous eight years.

The latest Clean Energy Investing in America report details the extent of the clean energy renaissance spreading across the country since federal clean energy incentives were signed into law last August. Once completed, these investments and projects will strengthen our energy independence, improve air quality, and support one million American clean energy jobs. 

“Investment in clean energy production and manufacturing is surging. New jobs and revenue are bringing opportunity and optimism to rural communities across the country. America’s manufacturing centers are competing to meet new clean energy demand with a new domestic wind, solar or storage manufacturing facility announced every four days,” said ACP CEO Jason Grumet. “ACP member companies are powering the U.S. economy with clean, reliable, and affordable American energy. The United States has the technology, human capital, and financial capacity to achieve clean energy dominance. The only question is whether government policy will allow us to build the clean energy infrastructure in time to seize this opportunity.” 

Highlights from the report include public announcements from the past year of: 

• 184,850 megawatts (MW) of new utility-scale clean energy capacity 
• $4.5 billion in consumer savings 
• 29,780 new manufacturing jobs  
• Over $22 billion in manufacturing investment 
• 83 new or expanded utility-scale clean energy manufacturing facilities – equivalent to a manufacturing facility being announced every four days 

Manufacturing facilities for utility-scale clean energy components have been announced in districts across the country, and multiple states have announced five or more facilities, including Georgia (7), Tennessee (6), South Carolina (6), Texas (5), and Colorado (5). 

The report also unveils a significant uptick in the manufacturing capacity of clean power components, thanks to the 83 announced facilities. Should currently announced manufacturing facilities reach operation, ACP estimates a nearly ninefold increase in solar module production and a more than fifteenfold increase in grid-scale battery storage, along with significant increases in production output for solar cells, polysilicon, ingots and wafers, blades, towers, and nacelles. 

The Path Ahead 

This data reveals that the industry is planning to build clean energy faster than ever before. However, supply chain issues, inflation and opposition driven by misinformation are all hindering renewable energy development and must be addressed in order to reach the full potential of the incentives provided. 

Additionally, Congress still needs to pass permitting reforms to unlock the full potential of existing energy laws. If it continues to take five to 10 years to permit a clean energy facility, these investments will be stymied. 

While some improvements were made in the recent debt limit deal, there is plenty of room for more commonsense reforms that make the process more efficient while safeguarding environmental protection. It is also imperative that Congress find common ground on transmission policy to ensure that cheap, abundant clean energy can find its way to consumers. 

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