Solar panels are going up on rooftops, on planes, in airports, on cars, and now in homes.
They are also being installed on roads and sidewalks in cities across the country, as part of President Donald Trump’s “Clean Power Plan,” which is expected to bring about the most dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation in nearly two decades.
But as the first major government initiative to curb greenhouse gas output to reduce global warming, the solar energy mandate has drawn considerable controversy from the solar industry and advocates for the renewable energy industry, many of whom have vowed to fight it.
The Trump administration has also taken a strong stance against solar installations in some states.
And the president himself has been publicly critical of solar power, saying, “It’s a terrible pollutant.”
While there are no federal regulations or federal guidelines for how to conduct solar installations, some states have begun issuing restrictions on the installation of solar panels, particularly in the southern states, where solar is the most prevalent source of electricity.
The new federal solar order that Trump signed on Wednesday requires utilities to buy energy from a solar facility that produces power for residential or commercial use.
The federal government is also directing utilities to install solar panels on the roofs of commercial buildings.
Trump said the order “will not have any adverse effect on the availability of solar energy” and will help to “support the construction of new, cleaner, renewable energy resources in the United States.”
But a number of solar industry groups, including the American Solar Association, said the new order is a massive step backwards.
“The order is the largest federal green-energy program in the history of the United Kingdom,” said Chris Hales, the executive director of the American Association of Solar Energy.
“We’re extremely disappointed that the U.S. government has failed to act on the most significant solar policy the United Nations has ever enacted.
We’ve worked to bring together industry, environmental, and policy experts to ensure that the Trump Administration follows the advice of the UN.
The solar industry’s response was to create a new petition urging Trump to cancel the solar mandate.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the petition.
“It is a disaster for the American solar industry.” “
This is the greatest environmental disaster in U.K. history,” said Mark Pieth, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, an industry group that opposes the solar mandates.
“It is a disaster for the American solar industry.”
Some solar companies are calling for a boycott of Trump’s solar energy executive order.
The Environmental Protection Agency, for example, has announced a new rule to require utilities to use a third-party supplier to install renewable energy in their power plants.
“President Trump is breaking the law, and this executive order is another example of his reckless disregard for American workers and taxpayers,” said Jennifer Lisk, director of environmental advocacy for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Trump has shown himself to be the worst president to govern our nation, and we need to send a clear message that he can’t be trusted with the nuclear codes.
We can no longer let him stand on the sidelines and let his policies be ignored.
We need to act now to protect our communities and our economy.”