Two-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act brings major successes for clean energy

I often think of a factory floor in Dalton, Georgia, filled with pictures drawn by children, reminding me of what is possible and what will be, thanks to the historic Inflation Mitigation Act, which celebrates its second anniversary this month.

The drawings show how these children see their parents working in a solar factory. There are pictures of beautiful sunny days, of the earth with crystal clear water. Of their parents saving the world. These children see their parents as superheroes. When I think of these images, I ask myself: How can we not be inspired by these children to fight every day for a better, livable future? For more clean energy jobs in big cities and rural communities that will power our economy and our homes for generations to come?

There has been much in the news around this anniversary about the IRA's achievements and what remains to be done. As is fitting, this is a major focus of the Democratic National Convention currently underway in Chicago.

You don't have to look far to find examples of success. More than 334,000 new clean energy jobs have been created across the country. More than 3 million households have collectively saved over $8 billion on upgrades that save them money and make their homes more energy efficient. In Illinois, for example, nearly 140,000 residents claimed more than $260 million in tax credits on their 2023 tax returns for installing solar panels or other energy-efficient home improvements.

One fact should stand out in particular: The IRA is still the single largest step this country has ever taken to ensure a healthy and livable planet. Through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, the IRA aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 971 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2050. That's equivalent to the emissions from the annual energy use of about 5 million homes over more than 25 years.

Need a reminder of the urgency and necessity of this investment? Just turn on the news. Or go outside. We're living through the hottest summer on record, in the hottest year on record. The heat is causing fierce storms and wildfires that are affecting more and more Americans. Hurricane Ernesto is just the latest storm to devastate homes and businesses and leave hundreds of thousands of Americans without power. With so many people hurt and at risk, the IRA remains one of our most powerful tools to mitigate the damage of climate change. We must continue to learn from our implementation experiences, fill gaps where we see them, and redouble our efforts to protect people, places, and the planet. And we must remember that if we put everything we have into tackling the climate crisis, America will win in the next economy too.

More jobs in a 21st century economy

In the decades since the North American Free Trade Agreement, the movement of American jobs overseas has contributed to the destruction of cities and communities across America. Now the IRA is driving a manufacturing renaissance that will create good-paying jobs while bringing our energy economy into the 21st century.

Plans are currently underway to build a new solar cell factory near Minneapolis, Minnesota. This factory will create more clean energy jobs in the Midwest while also meeting the need for more U.S.-made solar cells. Solar company Heliene, which co-owns the project, publicly cites the IRA tax credits as the reason for its decision to invest in U.S. solar manufacturing.

Just an hour's drive from Minneapolis is the town of Becker, home to one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the country. But Becker will soon be known for something else: as a national leader in the transition to clean, renewable energy. Xcel Energy will completely retire the Sherco coal-fired power plant by 2030. Literally within sight of the old plant, the nation's fifth-largest solar project is being built. Taking advantage of new and expanded tax credits and grant programs, the Sherco solar and energy storage facility will bring 1.8 million solar panels online in 2026. It will employ hundreds of workers—many of them coming from the coal plant—and provide electricity to more than 150,000 Midwestern homes each year.

The IRA has always been focused on helping us achieve long-term economic success. One way we'll do that is by putting money back into Americans' pockets and ensuring no community is left out of the transition to cleaner, safer, more affordable energy.
We owe it to ourselves and to our children to build on this momentum. On this IRA anniversary, I think of the children in Dalton and the children in communities large and small across the country. I look forward to all the images that will come if we get this right.

Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club and professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

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