Sen. Ossoff continues leading Senate efforts to boost U.S. solar power and transition to renewable energy
Tax credits in Sen. Ossoff’s bill incentivize solar roof installations, including cutting-edge integrated solar systems
U.S. Reps. Sherrill, Pascrell introduce House companion bill
Washington, D.C. — Today, Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff introduced legislation to make rooftop solar panel installations and cutting-edge solar integrated roofing systems much more affordable for homeowners and businesses.
Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House.
The bill aims to help accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy and reduce greenhouse gases.
The legislation expands solar tax credits to cover a cutting-edge integrated solar roofing system and roof replacements and repairs necessary for solar panel installations.
Along with Sen. Ossoff’s Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act, this legislation will drastically increase domestic solar manufacturing and installations across the country and create more American jobs.
“This bill will make it more affordable for all Americans to install rooftop solar panels, saving them money on their electric bills and boosting renewable energy production nationwide,” Sen. Ossoff said. “I will continue leading Senate efforts to scale up renewable energy production.”
“If we want to take meaningful action towards addressing the climate crisis, the future must be powered by clean energy. Solar energy is a great alternative that needs to be made more accessible to more Americans. The RAISE the Roof Act does just that,” said Rep. Sherrill. “Clarifying and expanding the ITC to include new integrated solar roofing technology will make solar adoption easier and more available to more American families. There is a unique opportunity in front of us to grow our clean energy sector, create jobs here at home, and make it easier for consumers to access renewables like solar –– all while fueling our recovery from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. We’ve already seen the incredible impact the solar ITC has had on our clean energy economy since it was implemented 15 years ago. This legislation will only bolster that growth and incentivize the expansion of the clean energy sector, here in New Jersey and across the country.”
“As the threat of climate change grows, we have no choice but to use every tool in our toolbox to combat it and encourage clean energy solutions,” said Rep. Pascrell. “Solar roofing is one of the most promising and easily accessible avenues to reaching our climate goals. By expanding the Investment Tax Credit to include solar roofing technologies, this innovative legislation will help grow the solar industry and better encourage individual Americans to join the fight against climate change.”
Click here to read the legislation.
The new legislation has wide support from industry experts who point to the large impact this would have on consumers’ abilities to afford and install solar panels and newer solar roof technology in their homes.
“We need millions of new solar installations to decarbonize the economy, and that starts with equal tax treatment for solar built on new home construction, manufactured homes, and existing homes,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “This legislation will make sure that homes that have solar built into the original design are eligible for the same ITC benefits as any other residential solar installation and will extend the cost-saving benefits of solar energy to all Americans. We’re pleased to support this bill.”
“We see tremendous opportunity in roofs as real estate to drive the acceleration of clean energy. This bill positions existing American manufacturing resources and know-how to contribute meaningfully to a resilient path forward in our energy infrastructure,” said Martin DeBono of President GAF Energy.
“We are pleased to see today’s introduction of the RAISE the Roof Act,” said Reid Ribble, NRCA CEO. “Expanding access to new technology will unlock the potential for solar roofing to play an even bigger role in driving the clean energy economy. By modernizing the ITC, this critical piece of legislation will bolster the solar energy and home improvement industries, create 21st-century jobs for hardworking Americans across the country, and help to tackle climate change. We thank Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mikie Sherrill for their leadership on this forward-thinking policy, and we look forward to working alongside their offices to see this legislation pass Congress and become law.”
“The time to act on climate is now. Industry is rapidly advancing the tools we need to electrify our infrastructure and decarbonize. Tax policy must help accelerate the transition. This bill to clarify the ITC is an important step in the right direction,” said Billy Parish, Co-Founder and CEO, Mosaic.
“Clean energy is creating good jobs with high pay and a path to rapid career growth. How many jobs the industry creates flows directly from how fast sales and installations grow; we can only train people for work that needs to be done,” said Sam Steyer, Co-Founder and CEO, Greenwork. “Congressional actions to speed up deployment — like modernizing the ITC to reflect solar technological innovations — will speed up job creation immediately.”
Odette Mucha, Vote Solar Federal Liaison, said, “Poor roof conditions prevent approximately 10-20 percent of low-to-moderate income homeowners from accessing rooftop solar power. Modernizing the residential solar investment tax credit (ITC) to include the roof repairs necessary to go solar, in tandem with making it a cash grant, would enable more homes to reap the bill savings, energy independence, and resilience benefits that residential solar energy provides.”
