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Transcript:
In Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and many other states, factories are churning out solar panels.
Gallagher: “We’ve now got five times as much solar panel manufacturing capacity in the U.S. as we did just two years ago.”
And Sean Gallagher, senior vice president for policy at the Solar Energy Industries Association, says there’s more growth to come.
Gallagher: “That success in establishing factories to manufacture solar panels is now starting to pay off in the form of bringing the upstream supply chain back to the U.S. as well.”
For example, a large solar panel manufacturer in Georgia is expanding its operations so it can produce solar cells and other components that go into solar panels.
Gallagher: “And almost all the steel that our industry is procuring today is coming from the U.S.”
Gallagher says much of this growth is attributable to federal clean energy tax credits. Those tax credits have helped attract tens of billions of dollars in private investment in solar manufacturing.
Gallagher: “And it’s worth noting that about 70 to 80% of those manufacturing investments have gone into districts that are represented in Congress by Republicans.”
So the growing industry is benefiting communities across the U.S. and across the political spectrum.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
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by YCC Team, Yale Climate Connections
May 12, 2025
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