Advanced Energy Perspectives

Pennsylvania has roughly 270,000 energy workers – nearly half are employed by companies in the advanced energy industry, including those generating solar power, manufacturing energy storage batteries, and helping Pennsylvanians save money by reducing energy waste. While Pennsylvania’s history is rooted in fossil fuels, its present and future is as an advanced energy leader.

This month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced three major investments aimed at enhancing the resilience and reliability of our nation’s electric grid in response to growing demand.

The investments made by DOE’s Transmission Facilitation Program, Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, and Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Program represent significant funding for the modernization of our country’s energy infrastructure, whether through transmission projects, innovative grid solutions, or manufacturing capabilities. Funded directly by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), these programs are designed to create a reliable, clean, and affordable grid, while generating thousands of jobs and supporting disadvantaged communities. 

On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the largest-ever investment in clean energy and climate action. Two years later, the landmark legislation has proven to be the pivotal catalyst it was intended to be, unleashing historic investments in advanced energy solutions, revitalizing domestic manufacturing, stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and lowering energy costs for households and businesses across the country. In celebration, we’re marking this anniversary with a look at five indicators that the IRA is already transforming the U.S. economy, with much more on the horizon. 

Making the transition to a 100% clean, fully electrified economy will help cut emissions, lower costs, and increase reliability—but it will require more critical minerals and rare earth elements (REE). As we make this transition, the United States will become more energy secure, but will face a new landscape of commodity exposure. Today, we rely too often on tenuous supply chains, some of which are effectively monopolized by geostrategic competitors, for those resources. Despite record electric vehicle sales in 2023 and solar + storage topping all new energy deployed across the U.S., the advanced energy industry contends with highly concentrated sources for critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, that power their technologies. Supply chain transparency, coupled with onshoring and friendshoring critical minerals production, diversified sourcing, and recycling play important roles in fortifying supply chains and reducing risk.   

On Earth Day, the Biden Administration marked an important step toward accessible, affordable, and equitable residential and community solar as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the program awardees. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, Solar for All is part of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a $27 billion set aside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, deliver the benefits of greenhouse gas- and air pollution-reducing projects to American communities, and mobilize financing and private capital to stimulate additional deployment of greenhouse gas and air pollution reducing projects.