Texas and Iowa are examples of red states that love solar energy. Rural districts led by republicans are usually the best locations to profit from natural resources such as wind and sun.
But the main reason why Republicans are interested in Solar power is the work opportunities. Renewable energies offer the most prominent jobs in the American economy according to Forbes.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, solar panel installers and wind turbine technicians head the list of fastest-growing jobs in the country. These are long-term middle-class jobs offered to a sector of the population that has few job opportunities.
Besides, renewable energies also increase the local tax base. Nolan County in Texas has increased 8 times its tax base since the wind turbines started to use the western Texan air to create energy, according to Forbes
Of the 214 Republican districts in the country, 157 have installed the technology on solar power and wind turbines to access the cheapest energy. The republican senate has also shown their support for renewable energy in congress. During the Trump administration, the federal tax credit that offsets the costs of installing solar panels was passed with bipartisan support. 83% of the republicans supported this bill.
“Conservative support for green energy has always been there, but the Democrats capitalized on it more than the Republicans,” Barry Goldwater Jnr. the former Republican congressman said to CNBS.
Goldwater said that supporting renewable energy comes with the values that the Republican Party stand for, like free market, choice, and competition. Debby Doyle, a Republican congresswoman and Tea Party-affiliated from Georgia agrees with this statement. She founded the Green Tea Coalition and the Conservatives for Green Energy organization.
“Tea Party activists gravitate toward free-market choice,” she said. “They don’t like a centralized power system, so naturally they came on board with solar, with choice, and competition,” Doyle stated.
From the religious right-wing, Mitch Hesckoc who is the CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) declared that clean energy is a pro-life issue and “Anything that harms life is against us”, according to CNBS News.
Finally, Donald Trump has expressed enthusiasm for solar power in the past. He did slow solar power development in his administration but only to prevent international companies from selling their overproduction in the States.
“Our companies have been decimated”, he explained according to The Rolling Stone Magazine. Trump also stated that he would support solar power when it provides more jobs to the American people, and not for the benefit of foreign companies.
In a presidential debate in 2020, Donald Trump said he loves solar energy, but the industry still has a lot to overcome to “run our big beautiful factories”. During his administration, Donald Trump floated the idea of using solar energy for some of his biggest projects.
The main example is the wall that was supposed to be built on the border with Mexico. The former president proposed to cover the wall with solar panels so the project could pay for itself the entire cost of construction, according to the Solar Tribune. Although the idea never came through, Trump recognized solar power as the cheapest, innovative source to undertake big projects.