News Release
Embargoed until 3 PM ET
January 21, 2016
Contacts:
Larry Pearce 402-651-2948
Ben Hammes 515-281-5211
(Branstad)
Ashley O’Shea 401-222-8060
(Raimondo)
Governors’ Coalition to Advocate for Wind and Solar Energy
The renamed “Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition” will now
work to advance solar as well as wind energy
The Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition announced today that it has added solar
energy issues to the Coalition’s portfolio, following a unanimous vote from member
governors. The Coalition also announced its new name: Governors’ Wind and Solar
Energy Coalition.
“We are proud of Iowa’s leadership in wind energy and we are also encouraged by the
recent growth in solar energy. The addition of solar to the Coalition’s portfolio represents a
commitment to future economic and renewable energy growth, and further diversification of our
nation’s energy portfolio,” said Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who leads the Coalition as
chairman this year. “Bringing to bear the support of America’s leading governors and their
commitment to both solar and wind energy, and the Coalition’s high-quality policy work, this group
can have significant influence. Adding solar energy will strengthen our voice.”
Since its creation, the Coalition has successfully supported policies that promote wind
energy. In 2015, the bipartisan, 22-member Coalition advocated forcefully for a long-term
extension of the federal Renewable Energy Production and Investment Tax Credits. Both were
extended by Congress and signed by President Obama as part of the omnibus appropriations bill
in December 2015. The addition of solar energy will help the Coalition engage both Congress
and the President on other important issues, such as the storage and movement of energy and
research and development. The solar and wind industries share a common vision of a greener
and homegrown American energy future. Benefits to consumers include fixed-price electric power
with long-term savings, rewarding careers in rural communities, and cleaner air.
“I support the foresight of my colleagues to broaden the Coalition’s focus and include
solar energy development as a policy priority,” said Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, vice
chair of the Coalition. “Wind and solar provide complementary benefits to the U.S. electric grid
and will help diversify the country's energy mix. The need for states to take a broader view of
renewable power is clear.”
“I am proud to work with governors from across the country, and both parties, to advance
renewable energy,” said Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who served as the Coalition’s
chairman in 2015 and helped to add solar energy to its portfolio. “The exciting growth of both wind
and solar energy provide our states with tremendous economic opportunities, as well as the
ability to reduce emissions, protect public health, and build a more prosperous and sustainable
American clean energy future.”
When the Governors' Wind Energy Coalition was formed seven years ago, wind energy
resources supplied about 1 percent of the nation's electricity. Today, wind energy provides over 5
percent of the nation's electricity needs and employs over 73,000 Americans. In some states,
wind energy meets over 25 percent of electricity demand. Wind’s contribution to the nation's
electricity supply is likely to exceed 20 percent a decade from now. This remarkable progress
would not have been possible without the leadership of the Coalition's governors working with
federal leaders, the wind industry, and economic development leaders.
Solar energy is another key renewable energy resource that shares many technical and
policy interests with wind energy. Solar is expected to supply more than 3.5 percent of the
nation’s electricity by 2020, an increase of well over 3000 percent in just a decade. Today, nearly
209,000 Americans work in the solar industry, and that number is expected to more than double
by 2021. Wind and solar energy generation combined could one day supply the great majority of
the nation's electrical energy needs.
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The Governors’ Wind & Solar Energy Coalition is a bipartisan group of the nation’s
governors who are dedicated to the development of the nation’s wind and solar energy resources
to meet America’s domestic energy demands in an environmentally responsible manner — while
reducing the nation’s dependence on imported energy sources and stimulating state and national
economic development. For more information, visit www.GovernorsWindEnergyCoalition.org