LOS ANGELES
EnergiesNet.com 04 06 2022
The Biden administration has a “burning desire” to support renewable energy, but has little to show for it, says Sunnova Energy International Inc.’s top executive.
“I don’t see anything that’s been done,” John Berger, who heads one of the largest U.S. residential solar companies, said Tuesday in an interview. “And that’s the only thing that matters.”
President Joe Biden entered the White House in January last year, aiming to put the U.S. on a path to fully green power grids by 2035. Some industry advocates contend that his administration risks slowing the growth of solar power by blocking some imports over concerns about forced labor in China. The U.S. Commerce Department initiated a probe last week into whether Chinese solar-equipment manufacturers are skirting tariffs.
Read: U.S. solar group says tariff probe is causing delayed deliveries
“We certainly have not seen an improvement” in policies since Donald Trump’s presidency, Berger said. Trump imposed separate duties on imported solar. “That’s not a good track record.”
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
A bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last year included billions of dollars for electric-vehicle chargers and power grids. But Biden hasn’t managed to push through his landmark climate package that would extend key tax credits for solar and create a standalone incentive for battery storage — things Berger expected to have been done by now.
“The administration and the Democratic Party still want all those things, but they haven’t happened yet,” Berger said. “We’re kind of running out of time” before the midterm congressional elections later this year.
bloomberg.com 04 05 2022
