SEIA supports legislation to increase government use of renewable energy

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today offered its strong support for legislation introduced in Congress by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Ralph Norman, (R-SC). that will allow the General Services Administration (GSA) to enter into 30-year renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPA). The GSA is an independent agency which manages and supports the basic functioning of the federal government, including procurement. Under current law, only the U.S. military can enter into power purchase agreements for longer than 10 years.

“This bill will help save taxpayer dollars by allowing all federal agencies to take advantage of the significant cost savings currently enjoyed by the U.S. military through the use of long-term PPAs,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.  “Solar has grown dramatically over the last decade, and this measure gets the federal government in on the action by giving agencies the tools they need to invest in this clean, low-cost form of energy.”

The U.S. solar industry employs 250,000 people and generated nearly $17 billion in economic activity last year. Solar is the fastest growing source of new power generation and is also the least expensive in many parts of the country. This legislation puts the federal government on the same footing as the private sector when it comes to accessing this clean, affordable job-creating energy source, Hopper said.