HOW CONGRESS CAN ENSURE PLUMMETING SOLAR, WIND, AND BATTERY COSTS ACCELERATE OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE

The document outlines a pathway for the United States to reach 90 percent zero carbon electricity by 2035, asserting that plummeting technology costs make this achievable without increasing consumer electricity bills. It details the economic benefits, including $1.7 trillion in investment and 530,000 annual energy sector jobs, while avoiding 85,000 premature deaths by 2050. To prevent a scenario where zero carbon sources only reach 53 percent by 2035, the brief proposes a series of policy interventions for Congress, including a Clean Energy Standard, expanded tax credits, increased DOE capital for manufacturing, and support for coal communities through a 'Just Transition' framework and the RECLAIM Act.

• The U.S. has the potential to reach 90 percent zero carbon electricity by 2035 without increasing electricity bills for customers, provided that the electric grid utilizes $1.7 trillion in investment and supports a net increase of 530,000 energy sector jobs annually.
• Achieving a 90 percent zero carbon electricity system would result in a 27 percent reduction in economy-wide emissions and prevent up to 85,000 premature deaths caused by fossil fuel emissions by the year 2050.
• Without policy interventions, the share of zero carbon electricity sources in the U.S. is projected to be only 53 percent by 2035.
• To accelerate the transition, the document recommends Congress adopt a Clean Energy Standard with specific targets: 55 percent by 2025, 75 percent by 2030, 90 percent by 2035, and 100 percent by 2045.
• The brief proposes several measures to support coal communities in transition, including the creation of a national Just Transition Office, expanding the 2019 RECLAIM Act's $1 billion appropriation for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund, and providing tax incentives for wind and solar projects sited near coal communities.

APA

AGGARWAL, S., & O’BOYLE, M. (2020). HOW CONGRESS CAN ENSURE PLUMMETING SOLAR, WIND, AND BATTERY COSTS ACCELERATE OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/90-Clean-By-2035-Policy-For-Congress_June-2020.pdf

Chicago

AGGARWAL, SONIA, and MIKE O’BOYLE. HOW CONGRESS CAN ENSURE PLUMMETING SOLAR, WIND, AND BATTERY COSTS ACCELERATE OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE. Energy Innovation, 2020. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/90-Clean-By-2035-Policy-For-Congress_June-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=AGGARWAL |first1=SONIA |last2=O’BOYLE |first2=MIKE |title=HOW CONGRESS CAN ENSURE PLUMMETING SOLAR, WIND, AND BATTERY COSTS ACCELERATE OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=June 2020 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/90-Clean-By-2035-Policy-For-Congress_June-2020.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aggarwal2020how, author = {AGGARWAL, SONIA and O’BOYLE, MIKE}, title = {{HOW CONGRESS CAN ENSURE PLUMMETING SOLAR, WIND, AND BATTERY COSTS ACCELERATE OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/90-Clean-By-2035-Policy-For-Congress_June-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }