politics
Tim Pawlenty Named Solar Industry Lobby Chief as Tax Credits Phase Out
The former Minnesota governor assumed leadership of the Solar Energy Industries Association last week. Solar and battery projects supplied 91 percent of new U.S. grid capacity in the first quarter of 2026 even as federal incentives begin to decline.
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Tim Pawlenty took over last week as president and chief executive of the Solar Energy Industries Association. ” Pawlenty told Semafor that the White House “has underappreciated solar’s role in how we’re going to solve these problems” of energy reliability and affordability.
He listed two priorities for 2026: passage of a permitting reform bill and continued tax credit support for domestic solar panel manufacturing.
Solar combined with batteries accounted for 91 percent of new power added to the U.S. grid in the first quarter of 2026, Semafor reported. Tax credits for the operation of new large-scale solar systems begin to wind down on July 4 and will disappear entirely by the end of 2027.
Wood Mackenzie forecasts that the rollback will reduce large-scale solar projects by at least 4 percent from pre-bill levels and cut the residential solar market by almost 50 percent. ” Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged $285 million on June 22 to support renewable energy lobbying groups in developing countries.
