Over the past several years, Americans have watched the cost of everyday life climb faster than their paychecks. Since 2020, overall consumer prices have risen by roughly 25%, while household electricity prices have increased even faster, especially in certain regions of the country. Energy is no longer a background expense. It is a front-line affordability issue, shaping the cost of everything from groceries and housing to manufacturing and data services.
At the same time, U.S. power demand is surging due to the rapid growth of AI and data center infrastructure, the reshoring of manufacturing, and population shifts across the country. When electricity becomes expensive or constrained, everything built on it costs more. The question before policymakers is straightforward: do we have enough affordable power to sustain U.S. economic growth and competitiveness, and are we using all the available resources to meet demand now?
We are at an inflection point. The Trump administration’s push for investment in America should strengthen the economy, but only if the energy system can keep pace. Without an all-of-the-above strategy that includes solar, natural gas, nuclear, geothermal, and other technologies, economic growth will be limited. We cannot rebuild manufacturing, lead in AI, or outpace China if our energy systems cost too much and cannot scale quickly.
China is adding power capacity faster than any other nation, giving its industries and AI developers an immediate advantage. In today’s economy, every electron matters for job creation, national security, and technological leadership.
Powering our national ambitions means having a broad mix of affordable, available power; to achieve that goal, we need predictable and durable public policy. Markets work most efficiently when energy producers, developers, and financiers can rely on clear, long-term rules. Now that we have leveled the playing field, keeping policies stable and letting technologies compete on their economic merits will be the best way to unleash American energy.
Today, solar energy is among the lowest-cost sources for new generation in many U.S. markets, and cost curves continue to decline. Solar can be sited and built faster and cheaper than long-lead resources like nuclear and natural gas, helping to fill immediate capacity needs. In fact, the Energy Information Administration just projected that utility-scale solar will be the fastest-growing source of new electricity generation through 2027. Solar complements other resources, balancing natural gas, nuclear, and hydro to bolster reliability while reducing overall system costs.
These facts underscore a broader point: U.S. consumers and businesses are best served when we harness our abundant resources, not restrict them. Policies that encourage energy exploration, embrace innovation, modernize the grid, and streamline permitting help to secure long-term prosperity and bolster national competitiveness.
Recent polls show Americans broadly support expanding solar as part of strengthening the energy supply. And that support grows when voters realize that solar can be deployed quickly and affordably without compromising reliability.
America’s core economic challenge is not about picking winners and losers. It is about building enough power, at the pace of American ambition, to fuel jobs, industry, data, and innovation. That means expanding supply, reforming permitting, and letting markets, not politicians, decide which technologies succeed.
Solar is one of the fastest and most effective near-term solutions to meet rising demand for AI data centers, manufacturing hubs, and growing communities. Now that its subsidies will be a thing of the past, it’s time to let all energy sources grow as quickly as they can, on their own merits.
