Let’s be clear about where we stand: most of environmental activism today is little more than a Trojan horse for Marxism. The climate hysterics have spent decades trying to scare Americans that the planet is dying. Their only solution, coincidentally, involves government control at every level. As the left would say, we at the Reporter are “climate deniers” because we favor real science over environmental hysteria. 

However, that skepticism of the climate scam does not mean we should be skeptical of every alternative energy source, even if–in the past–it was a goal of the left. And when Elon Musk, who has done more to cut government waste than any private citizen in American history, says the economics of solar energy are real, it’s worth taking seriously. Remember: when Musk first started talking about fully self-driving cars, it sounded like a joke. Today, Tesla’s full-self driving technology is nothing short of miraculous. The technology advanced faster than almost anyone predicted. 

It’s plausible the same applies to solar. It made no economic sense ten years ago, but rapid advancements have made it genuinely competitive.

Here’s the straightforward case: solar has gotten cheaper. The cost of solar panels has dropped more than 90 percent over the past fifteen years, driven by competition and manufacturing scale. For homeowners and businesses alike, solar is sometimes the lowest-cost option for electricity with no subsidy required. In a country where families are getting crushed by rising utility bills, that’s a huge win for affordability.

This isn’t an argument for abandoning coal, oil, or gas, which are by far the best sources of energy.. An all-of-the-above energy strategy (excluding wind energy, which is unreliable and dangerous for the birds that President Trump cares about) is the right approach. Solar should compete on its merits alongside every other source. And right now, it’s competing well.

There’s also the political dimension. China is investing aggressively in solar manufacturing and deployment. That alone isn’t a reason for the United States to follow suit, we don’t take our cues from the Chinese Communists. But it’s worth asking what they see. When our chief strategic competitor is betting heavily on a technology, dismissing it outright isn’t strength. It’s complacency.

We suggest to Republican members in Congress: reassess your priors on solar energy. The technology has truly made it a valuable tool to lower prices for Americans.