Clean energy companies are blitzing Capitol Hill to save IRA tax credits - Related to solar, withstand, deploy, hurricanes, hill

Clean energy companies are blitzing Capitol Hill to save IRA tax credits

A coalition of clean energy groups – representing over 2,000 companies and hundreds of billions in private investment – is holding more than 100 meetings today with bipartisan members of Congress to underscore the critical role of IRA clean energy tax credits.

As part of the lobbying blitz, more than 1,850 clean energy companies are also sending letters to Congress emphasizing the economic importance of clean energy tax credits and urging lawmakers to preserve these incentives. The solar industry letter can be found here, and the business leaders’ letter can be found here.

Organizations with member companies participating in the lobbying blitz include the Solar Energy Industries Association, National Hydropower Association, Oceantic Network, Climate Power, US Green Building Council, Clean Energy for America, E2, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Impact Capital Managers, and dozens of utilities and businesses across the energy sector.

Federal energy incentives are supercharging domestic clean energy manufacturing, cutting reliance on foreign adversaries, and creating jobs for American workers. These policies are driving hundreds of billions in investments into energy projects that are keeping the grid stocked with low-cost, reliable power – just as the US sees its biggest energy demand spike since World War II.

Without federal clean energy tax credits, clean energy deployment would fall by 237 gigawatts (GW) over the next 15 years, . That’s enough power to supply 36 million homes. In the last two years, 70-80% of all federal clean energy investments have been in red states, and 90% of those investments are in the manufacturing sector.

Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), stated, “With support from federal clean energy policies, American solar manufacturers can now produce enough modules to meet all demand for solar in the United States. It’s critical that our elected leaders understand the impact of these policies and the jobs and investments they bring to their constituents.”.

“Businesses across America right now are just breaking ground or finalizing plans for hundreds of factories and projects that will manufacture the solar panels, batteries and other Made-in-America equipment and deploy the energy we need to meet the exploding demand for electricity across the economy,” noted Bob Keefe, executive director of the national nonpartisan business group E2. “Now’s not the time to undermine the federal policies driving this economic boom and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it’s creating. Now’s the time for Congress to keep the investments and opportunities flowing to the folks back home, while also making America competitive again in the global marketplace.”.

“Energy tax credits are helping enable more than $25 billion in American offshore wind supply chain investments and thousands of American manufacturing and shipbuilding jobs,” stated Liz Burdock, president and CEO of Oceantic Network. “We must act to secure these jobs and investments in our Gulf shipyards, Midwestern steel mills, and ports along our coastlines, advance our energy security and independence, and unleash the full portfolio of American-made energy.”.

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Glades County schools deploy 13 new Blue Bird electric school buses

Florida students will be breathing a bit easier this year thanks to the deployment of 13 new Blue Bird electric school buses — some of which will be replacing diesel buses that have been service for over twenty years!

The students at the Glades County school district will directly benefit from the cleaner, quieter rides, and operational cost savings that electric school buses provide, of course. The killer app as far as students are concerned, however, will be the addition of much-needed air conditioning in the new school buses. Until now, only three buses in the district provided air conditioning, leaving most Glades County students to endure daily, sweaty rides on sticky brown vinyl in the intense Florida heat (that’s right, gang, most school buses in Florida do not have AC — source: native Floridian).

For the kids riding those Blue Bird buses, and for the school bus drivers themselves, these buses are a massive upgrade. “We’re excited to celebrate the arrival of 13 new electric school buses in Glades County,” expressed Dr. Beth Barfield, Superintendent of Glades County School District. “These state-of-the-art buses represent a significant advancement for our district, offering students a much more comfortable transportation experience in the extreme Florida heat. This milestone is a chance to bring our community together and recognize the teamwork and dedication that brought this project to life.”.

Blue Bird (Nasdaq: BLBD) is the only [website] and operated school bus manufacturer in the United States, and delivered its 2,000th electric school bus to Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada last August, and has continued to deliver both vehicles and solid stock performance even as other HD EV brands like Lion Electric and Nikola flounder.

As for how much the district will save with the new fleet, other school districts have reported paying a mere 19 cents per mile in energy costs for electric buses compared to fuel costs of up to 79 cents per mile for their diesel counterparts, as well as superior extreme hot- and cold-weather performance compared to diesel.

Electric school buses charging; via Blue Bird.

Even with all the uncertainty surrounding the federal Clean School Bus Program, the number of incentives out there to help electrify school districts is still huge, and a number of regional utility programs (like ComEd’s BE Plan in Chicago) are offering six figure rebates to help reduce harmful, surface level air pollution among school-aged kids – one of the most vulnerable populations.

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These solar streetlights can withstand Category 5 hurricanes

Streetleaf’s solar-powered streetlights can withstand Category 5 hurricanes, and the business aims to deploy them across Florida to boost storm resilience.

Since Tampa-based Streetleaf was founded in 2019, it’s installed over 8,000 solar streetlights across the US. The corporation’s solar-powered streetlights are IoT smart devices connected to a remote monitoring dashboard that can identify potential problems before an outage occurs, identify current outages without the need for customer reporting, and allow for remote control of brightness settings.

The streetlights are built to remain operational even during widespread power outages. That means the lights are on when communities need them most, ensuring safety and comfort during and in the aftermath of storms.

Solar-powered lights can also be installed in communities without existing infrastructure, which increases safety for drivers and pedestrians in historically underserved areas.

Streetleaf asserts that all of its streetlights stayed on in the face of major hurricanes and tropical storms, including, most in the recent past, Hurricanes Ian, Isalia, Debby, Helene, and Milton. They have a wind rating of 160 mph.

It comes in either 150W or 220W bifacial solar panel wattage, with a lithium iron phosphate battery wattage of either 820 or 1230 Wh and 5,200 or 7,200 lumens, respectively.

The enterprise’s new initiative is called Shine On Florida, and it’s a call to action for Florida’s utility companies, local governments, home builders, municipalities, HOAs, and residents get its solar-powered streetlights into as many new projects as possible across the state in 2025. Streetleaf wants in on bids for everything – new developments, municipal upgrades, private projects, and so on. And once a contract is signed, Streetleaf promises to install the lights within three months.

They’re also making a smart offer for storm season. Any streetlights purchased before April 1 will be installed before the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1.

Liam Ryan, CEO of Streetleaf, expressed, “With partnerships in place across the state, Streetleaf is ready to support Florida’s efforts towards a more resilient community, providing Florida with dependable lighting through this and future hurricane seasons.”.

Now is a great time to begin your solar journey so your system is installed in time for those sunny spring days. If you want to make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate partner.

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