What’s slowing down America’s clean energy transition? It’s not the cost

Local opposition to renewables and long delays in grid connection are slowing the pace of clean energy transition in the US [File: Godofredo A Vásquez/AP Photo]

For the first time, clean energy in the United States is at the same price as energy from burning fossil fuels thanks to policy measures, including President Joe Biden’s signature climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). But a new report says non-cost barriers are now slowing the country’s transition to renewables.

The report, released in February by the Clean Investment Monitor, analysed different modelling scenarios and found that the IRA is expected to meet its goal of reducing GHG emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030.