ESG Currents · Oct 7, 2026 · 25m · 15m saved
With Tim Pawlenty, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association
Solar and storage supplied 70% of the new power added to the US grid so far in 2026, Tim Pawlenty said, and a similar share in 2025.
Solar is often described as a Democratic cause. Pawlenty, a Republican and former governor of Minnesota, said most new solar and storage capacity is being built in states that voted for President Trump, and that his pitch to conservatives now leads with cost and speed rather than climate.
"Who the heck is against clean?" — Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty, President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, on ESG Currents, signed Minnesota's 2007 renewable energy standard as governor, a target the state met seven years early, and took over the solar industry's main trade group in May 2026.
The full interview is covered here so you can skip it. 25 minutes of audio, 10 minutes of reading.
Here are the 11 arguments that matter.
Key Takeaways
Solar and storage made up 70% of the new power added to the US grid so far in 2026
The share was similar in 2025 and "not too much lower" in 2024
Less than 1% of the solar panels used in the US now come from China
The US moved from 14th-largest panel maker in the world to third in five years
Solar is not a partisan industry, Pawlenty said: most new projects are in states that voted for Trump
The damage came from policy reversals, not from any one subsidy: the Inflation Reduction Act's incentives were largely repealed within about two years
Data center developers should promise not to raise local power prices, and use closed-loop water systems
Residential solar is shifting to leased systems enrolled in virtual power plants, after losing tax incentives
Solar and storage cannot meet the rise in US power demand alone, Pawlenty said, and the country will need nuclear and hydropower too
1. Four Numbers on US Solar
The host read four figures from SEIA's recent US Solar Market Insight report and asked Pawlenty to explain each one.
The first was 11.4 gigawatts of capacity added in the second quarter
Pawlenty said the report points to continued, substantial growth in solar and storage deployment.
Solar and storage are now most of what is added to the grid each year
"But in year-to-date, 2026, 70% of the new energy added to the grid, the new power added to the grid, is from solar in storage, a similar percentage in calendar year 2025, and not too much lower in 2024." — Tim Pawlenty
He said that matters because demand for power is rising fast, and added supply holds down prices. Without solar and storage there would be "a very big void on the grid", he said, because other sources cannot be built as quickly.
Most new projects are in Republican states
The host's third figure was 71% in states won by Trump. Pawlenty said the idea that solar is a blue-state industry is wrong.
"As you just mentioned, most of the new solar and storage deployments that are taking place in the country are in places, states that voted for President Trump." — Tim Pawlenty
He said recent polling by Tony Fabrizio and Kellyanne Conway, two of Trump's pollsters, found that a large majority of Republicans support solar and storage as part of the country's energy mix.
The panels are no longer made in China
The last figure was 75 gigawatts of operating US module manufacturing capacity. Pawlenty said SEIA supports the push for US manufacturing, which he said both the Trump and Biden administrations backed.
"Less than 1% of the solar panels being used in the United States come from China." — Tim Pawlenty
He said the US now has enough capacity to make every part of a solar system, including mounts, brackets, trackers, panels, and the cells and wafers inside them, though not yet enough to meet all demand.
"The US used to be the 14th largest manufacturer of solar panels in the world. And in five years, we've moved to third in the world." — Tim Pawlenty
