________________________________________________________________________________________________ Main
Interview the current administration beholden to oil and gas interests, and the associated futile political fight against renewable energy, will only serve to proliferate further innovation to satisfy our nation’ s appetite for affordable energy.
As sunshine is an intermittent resource, the most significant factor influencing the widespread adoption of solar energy is the advancement of battery technologies to store and deliver solar energy as needed. Growing demand for energy will continue to drive down battery costs, which will enable solar to be deployed in even more locations.
The rapid expansion of US solar development is also increasingly constrained by a shortage of skilled construction labor. To overcome this, the sector can scale apprenticeship programs, expand partnerships with trade schools, standardize national solar training credentials, and increase incentives for skilled electrical technicians, particularly those trained in medium-voltage and DC systems, which face the most acute shortages.
What is your perspective on the solar market over the next 12 to 24 months, and what does the market look like for projects that miss the July 4 deadline? Despite regulatory hurdles, I believe that the solar industry will continue to grow. As energy demand increases, other energy sources like nuclear and natural gas lack the technology and domestic manufacturing infrastructure to meet the growing energy needs spurred by AI, data centers, and electrification. Solar energy is best suited to quickly meet rising energy demand.
Projects that begin construction after July 4, 2026, face extraordinary execution pressure due to the compressed timeline mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act( OBBBA). These projects must be placed in service by December 31, 2027, providing limited time to progress from the start of construction to commercial operation. Given current transformer and major equipment supply chain constraints, navigating an 18-month construction timeline may be infeasible for utility-scale projects, which are typically constructed over a 24-to-36-month period.
If you could implement one change that would accelerate the energy transition, what would it be, and why? If I could implement just one change, it would be to introduce a nationwide fast‐track policy for modernizing and expanding the electric grid. No matter how quickly we build renewable generation, storage, or EV charging, the biggest bottleneck in the energy transition is the lack of transmission capacity and the slow, inconsistent permitting that prevents clean energy from reaching demand centers. We know that solar energy is already cost-competitive, but a modernized, more interconnected grid unlocks every other part of the transition, including transmission and distribution, storage, electrification, and resilience.
Is there anything else you would like to add that we haven’ t covered? As the solar tax credits discussed above phase out and demand for clean energy continues to accelerate, the market for buying and selling operational solar facilities is entering a period of rapid growth – something already evident in current transaction activity. Rapid yet accurate valuation of operating assets will be essential for investors seeking to compete effectively, and our team is well positioned to guide and advise project owners through this evolving landscape. ■
www. vde. com / en / vde-americas
newenergy-today. com 13