America was built on abundant energy.

What started with the whaling ships that sailed out of New Bedford, Mass., continued with Appalachian coal mines stretching from Pennsylvania to Alabama, the great East Texas oil field, the Western dams that turned rivers into gigawatts, the Gulf Coast’s petrochemical plants that made the jet fuel needed to win World War II, the 20th century nuclear buildout, and the fracking boom that unleashed massive new reserves of natural gas.

The next energy source to step up and continue this 250 year tradition of abundance is solar. America built the world’s largest oil industry and the world’s largest natural gas industry. Now it’s time to build the world’s largest solar industry. 

Artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, data centers, and domestic industrial growth are driving a surge in electricity demand unlike anything the United States has seen in decades. We need more electricity generation to invigorate America and we need it now.

This challenge also presents a major opportunity.

For years, conversation around solar energy was framed almost entirely through the lens of climate politics. This framing misses what makes solar powerful. Solar energy’s defining attributes are that it is scalable, reliable, and low-cost.

We need to think about solar in terms of the economy and jobs. The United States is finally rebuilding a domestic solar manufacturing base capable of producing leading energy technology in American factories with American workers. Above all, solar can deliver the energy abundance that Americans want.

Across the country, factories producing solar modules, components, and energy storage technologies are opening or expanding, particularly in states eager to attract new industrial investment and strengthen local economies. Much of the investment has been in red-leaning states. For instance, T1 Energy, of which I am CEO, owns a 5 GW solar module facility outside of Dallas that has a workforce of more than 1,200 people. We’ve begun to build what we expect to be a $425 million solar cell fab northeast of Austin.

These facilities and others create skilled jobs, revitalize manufacturing communities, and help secure the energy infrastructure needed to support future economic growth.

This is not about replacing one energy source with another. America will need every available form of reliable domestic energy production to meet rising electricity demand and maintain grid stability.

Creating a domestic solar manufacturing industry is necessary, and so are reforms to simplify and speed energy additions. America’s grid was built on complex and at times contradictory local, state and federal policies. As speed to power becomes a gating factor to economic growth, permitting and interconnection access must be streamlined and costs to connect must be lowered. Other changes are important. The American electrical utility model still relies heavily on rate-base and cost-plus incentives, even when new technologies could lower costs and speed deployment.

The Trump administration’s leadership on American Energy Dominance and AI Dominance illustrates their seriousness about tackling this problem.

Americans deserve energy abundance and a modern grid that delivers reliable and affordable electricity. Taking these steps are designed to reduce energy costs, create jobs, spur domestic manufacturing investments, and unlock AI dominance.

Solar energy can be scaled quickly to deliver the energy we need to thrive as we begin our next 250 years. At a moment when the United States is racing to build faster than its competitors, modernize its grid, and secure the infrastructure needed for future growth, we can also rebuild our industrial capacity. 

This isn’t a nice to have. It’s a national priority.

Dan Barcelo is Chairman & CEO of T1 Energy, an Austin, Texas, solar manufacturing company.