The Energy Department released a lofty goal Wednesday calling for solar power to make up 45% of US energy by 2050.
Solar power accounted for around 3% of the energy grid last year, and such an ambitious leap to nearly 50% falls in line with the Biden administration's plan to fundamentally reshape the energy industry away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy by 2035.
According to the new Energy Department report, the US would have to double the amount of solar panels installed every year for the next four years and then double it again by 2030.
The report found that with 'rapid cost reductions,' it is now possible for solar to provide 40% of the nation's electricity by 2035. Tax incentives have boosted solar's growth over the past decade.
The report argues that solar power could provide 1,600 gigawatts of power - more than is consumed by all residential and commercial buildings in the US.
'The study illuminates the fact that solar, our cheapest and fastest-growing source of clean energy, could produce enough electricity to power all of the homes in the U.S. by 2035 and employ as many as 1.5 million people in the process,' said Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.
In addition to increasing solar power production every year, the report calls for expanding storage, transmission, forecasting and microgrid capabilities.
Solar power accounted for around 3% of the energy grid last year, but a new Energy Department report said that number could increase to 45% by 2050
Energy Sec. Granholm pushed for Biden's costly Build Back Better Agenda to implement the 45% solar power by 2050 goal
Implementation of the goal relies on Congress' passing of some of President Biden's ambitious proposals, such as those laid out in not only the bipartisan infrastructure bill but also the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint, part of Biden's build Back
