Solar can light path to economic growth

Isaac Vanderburg and Jon Powers

COMMENTARY

The Land of the Midnight Sun has an Alaska-sized opportunity for solar-powered economic growth.

Around the world, private sector demand is driving unprecedented volumes of renewable power development. Meanwhile, technological progress continues to push down the price of projects. The United States has the opportunity to become a leader in solar manufacturing thanks to the forward-thinking advanced manufacturing provisions passed in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This legislation is forecasted to bring in over $600 billion in new investment and over 100,000 more jobs in the industry. Those investment dollars will flow to the states that have policy certainty for the clean energy transition that is underway. Today, Alaska’s solar power is more affordable than power generated by natural gas, and it would be a major missed opportunity for this state to ignore the economic growth potential at its doorstep.

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