Solar Energy Is Powering Our Nation's Future

Clean energy is powering more and more of our country every year – and solar energy is breaking records left and right. From July to October, an astounding 8.6 Gigawatts (GW) of solar energy were brought online – the biggest third quarter on record for the solar industry.

For reference, 1 GW is enough to power around 172,000 homes. In the United States, the first utility-scale solar farm began operating in 1982. It wasn't until 2008, 26 years later, when the country reached 1 GW of solar capacity. So, to give you a sense of how quickly the solar industry is expanding, 8.6 times more solar capacity came online in three months than from 1982-2008. Today, the United States has a total of 219.8 GW of solar capacity – enough to power 37.6 million homes.

While Texas and California are the nation's solar leaders, states in the Midwest are beginning to expand their solar capacity as well. The Midwest is quickly becoming a clean energy manufacturing hub. Since 2022, Midwestern states have received around $30 billion in private investments to boost domestic clean energy production. It's no wonder, then, that the region is also building more solar projects. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the organization that manages the Midwest's energy grid, anticipates the region's solar capacity to grow to 12 GW by the end of winter – a nearly 50 percent increase from its current solar capacity.

Why Do Communities Choose Solar?

The many benefits of solar projects are diverse, ranging from economic to environmental. When a project gets built, it infuses cash into local economies through property tax payments. That money can be used to directly benefit the community, whether it's funding schools, critical infrastructure projects, or parks and recreational services. Additionally, projects enter into lease agreements with landowners, meaning landowners receive payments that they can use as they see fit. Of course, there are also the jobs. The solar industry employs over 260,000 Americans, and "solar photovoltaic installer" is the second-fastest growing job in the country (side note: the fastest growing job is wind turbine technician).

Zoom in to a specific project, and the benefits become even more tangible. The largest solar project in Wisconsin's history was approved earlier this month. The Vista Sands solar project, planned for Portage County, will generate nearly 1.3 GW of electricity while bringing significant benefits to the surrounding area. According to a press release from Clean Wisconsin, the solar farm will greatly reduce water contamination in the area by removing a large portion of the 3 million pounds of fertilizer and 73,000 gallons of insecticide currently spread across the project area every year. Beyond the obvious environmental benefits of the project, it will also provide $6.5 million every year to local towns and counties. And to think, that's just one project. Across the United States, solar projects contribute $739 million to local communities annually.

What's Next?

With the advancement of new technologies like AI and electric vehicles, the demand for more energy is growing rapidly. In the face of this growing energy demand, building more solar projects is not just an option on the table - it's a necessity. These new projects, like the Vista Sands project in Wisconsin, will bring economic and environmental benefits to the surrounding areas, all while delivering reliable, affordable clean energy to American homes and business. America's future is powered by clean energy, and solar is going to help us get there.