Biden Targets 45% of U.S. Energy to Be Solar Powered by 2050

U.S. President Joe Biden has championed a number of reforms, targets and policies slated to reduce carbon emissions and increase reliance on clean energy, and in a new plan shared on Wednesday, the administration is looking to make a major move from burning fossil fuels to solar energy within the next three decades.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration unveiled plans to use solar power for nearly half of U.S. electricity by 2050, as a part of Washington’s attempts to substitute renewable energy for fossil fuels, according to The New York Times.

While solar energy provided just 4 percent of U.S. energy in 2020, Biden’s effort is targeting a goal of 45 percent of U.S. energy being generated by solar power by 2050, following an Energy Department report that emphasizes our need for solar expansion.

The U.S. Energy Department report says that the U.S. will need to double solar energy installations each year for the next four years, in comparison with solar installations last year.

While renewable energy sources are growing, they still only offer about 20 percent of U.S. electricity, while natural gas and coal still offer around 60 percent.

Earlier this year, President Biden also vowed to end $90 billion USD in government subsidies for gas companies, following a March infrastructure plan Biden signed which allocates $174 billion USD for advancing electric vehicle adoption.

With Tesla offering solar as part of its product line up, the company could benefit from the federal government’s push to further go green, joining Biden’s similar push for electric vehicles in the country.