Clean energy investment is slowly but surely making its way across America, but there are ways we can accelerate this transition. During 2024 National Clean Energy Week, prominent clean energy experts came together to discuss key challenges and opportunities in clean energy deployment across the United States. 

Transmission and Permitting 

Panelists agreed that permitting is a significant challenge for the deployment of clean energy. Abby Ross Hopper, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, noted “We are…certainly not going to let anyone forget that this is a priority, we’re not going to let them forget that there is an urgency to this work, and this is not just like a nice to have…” 

Community Acceptance 

Another significant challenge to clean energy deployment is gaining local community support for energy projects. The panelists noted increasing organized opposition at the county level, particularly regarding land use. JC Sandberg, Chief Advocacy Officer at the American Clean Power Association, shared “what happens at the state and local level is increasingly an impediment to development for us, and [creates] issues around local control…”. The panel agreed on the importance of demonstrating tangible benefits to local communities and working with critical stakeholders like farmers. 

Increased Demand 

The panelists also discussed significant load growth driven by data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. John Di Stasio, President of the Large Public Power Council, noted “…one of the dynamics that’s changed pretty distinctly in the last several months is the forecast for new load growth. That’s creating quite a gap when we’re not only replacing [the] older generation with new but also having to build new to meet significantly more load, so permitting is obviously a linchpin in all of that, financing as well. 

Craig Sundstrom, Senior Manager, Energy and Environment Public Policy at Amazon Web Services, agreed. “I think what’s really unique about the load growth that we’re seeing on the system, particularly in the tech and cloud computing space, is that the customers that are seeking new load are also some of the most sophisticated corporate buyers of clean energy.” 

Finally, former Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette shared the importance of continued federal investment in new technologies, “as we deploy more and more renewable power, it is important that we continue to support programs in my former agency like the DOE with regard to battery storage, other types of storage, because it is a challenge to bring this online and manage it as part of a larger grid. 

As leaders from across the industry emphasized, success will depend on continued innovation in storage technologies, strategic federal investment, and strong partnerships between public and private sectors. The momentum is building – now is the time to accelerate our transition to a clean energy economy that benefits communities across the nation.