Sen. Ossoff also working to boost domestic solar manufacturing
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and 23 of his colleagues in an effort to make it easier for low-income and middle-class families to install solar energy and incentivize widespread installation.
In a letter, the Senators urged inclusion of a direct pay option for residential renewable energy tax credits in the reconciliation bill, in which eligible taxpayers can receive a full refund to offset the cost of home solar systems, helping to incentivize installation.
Along with Sen. Ossoff’s legislation to boost domestic solar production and make it more affordable to install rooftop solar, this would help meet President Biden’s goal of having solar energy account for 40% of U.S. energy by 2035 and reduce greenhouse gases by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030.
“[The] essential tax credit is designed to help residential customers install renewable energy systems such as solar, wind and geothermal, but without a direct pay option, the low- and moderate-income (LMI) households who would benefit most from distributed generation are effectively blocked from accessing this tax credit,” the Senators wrote. “We believe that a direct pay option will not only help us meet President Biden’s goal of a 50% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over 2005 levels by 2030, but it will also help address long-standing impacts of climate injustice.”
Sen. Ossoff’s innovative solar initiatives continues to build momentum in Congress.
This week, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who chairs the powerful Senate Committee on Finance with jurisdiction over clean energy tax legislation, strongly endorsed inclusion of Sen. Ossoff’s solar manufacturing tax credit in the upcoming reconciliation bill, calling it a “prerequisite” to dealing with climate change.
Sen. Ossoff has also introduced legislation to make rooftop solar panel installations and cutting-edge solar integrated roofing systems more affordable for homeowners and businesses.
Please click here to read their letter.
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