WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1, 2022 – Today, ahead of the State of the Union address, national business group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) urged President Joe Biden to look toward advanced energy for the sake of national security and to better protect Americans from future spikes in the prices of fossil fuels. 

AEE CEO Nat Kreamer, who is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan where he served in the Special Forces and was awarded the Bronze Star, released the following statement:  

“I returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2006 determined to help the United States free itself from fossil fuels. Now, with Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have even more reason to accelerate our country’s transition to clean energy.  

“Our national security is linked directly to our energy security. The more we wean ourselves off oil as well as gas and use more advanced energy, the safer we will be. Global conflict in recent decades has revolved around fossil fuels. The way to put an end to the power of those who use these fuels as a weapon is to stop buying their products.  

“We need a transition to clean energy for our economy too. Continued dependence on oil and gas puts our households and businesses at risk of energy price spikes like the ones now hitting Americans in their heating bills and at the gas pump right now. That’s because these fuels are commodities traded in global markets, making them volatile by nature.  

“What advanced energy does is replace commodities with technologies, which get cheaper and better over time, just like computers and televisions. We have seen it in the falling prices of wind and solar power, and we are seeing it happen in the batteries that power electric cars, trucks, and buses. Domestically manufacturing components for clean energy and transportation, and shoring up technology supply chains, will further insulate the U.S. economy from dangerous geopolitics. 

“We have the technology, talent, and capital to run our nation safely and prosperously on advanced energy. For the sake of our security and our economy, we need Congress to pass President Biden’s clean energy agenda without delay.”  

Before leading AEE, Kreamer pioneered the concept of rooftop solar financing when he co-founded the rooftop solar company Sunrun (NASDAQ: RUN) in 2007, the nation’s second-largest solar company, and was selected as a Champion of Change by President Obama for his work as a veteran in clean energy. 

AEE has been calling on Congress and the White House to increase federal investment in advanced energy technologies (solar, wind, battery storage, smart grid, transmission build-out, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and more) to help grow the domestic advanced energy market, which employed over 3.2 million Americans at the end of 2020. 

Background Materials 

• Read our blog post about how advanced energy technologies can combat energy price volatility.