As a solar energy expert, I’m sick of talking about climate change . Against the backdrop of skyrocketing fuel costs, the economic case alone for solar energy is crystal clear. In a single hour, the sun provides the Earth with more energy than we could use in a year. However, it currently accounts for only 2.3 per cent of America’s energy grid. Solar power infrastructure will continue getting cheaper as fossil fuels become prohibitively expensive. Whether fossil fuels come from dinosaurs or not, today they are certainly being consumed by dinosaurs. In order for the United States to reap the economic benefits of solar energy, President Joe Biden ’s Build Back Better proposal , which includes a 30 per cent tax credit for solar installation, must pass through Congress. The economic law of supply and demand doesn’t care about political ideology. As any high-school student will tell you, the more scarce a resource becomes, the more expensive it gets. According to research based on 2015 data, oil is predicted to run out in 51 years, natural gas in 53 years, and coal in 114 years. Regardless of the international energy supply chain strain, fossils fuels and natural gas are destined for higher prices , no matter how you spin it. US oil prices are over US$90 a barrel at the time of writing, but in under a decade, these prices will be a nostalgic memory. In contrast, costs for solar photovoltaic technology have dropped by 82 per cent over the past decade. Even Greenpeace underestimated the rise of solar energy. In 2010, it released an optimistic report, more bullish than any government figures, which predicted that by 2020, the world would have 335,000 megawatts of installed solar photovoltaic capacity, enough to power 64 million homes. They got it wrong. By the end of 2018, there were already over 480,000 megawatts installed globally, enough to power 91 million homes. The rapid uptake is a result of the falling cost of solar power. Solar photovoltaics have witnessed the sharpest cost decline of any electricity technology over the past decade. China and lithium: time to retire the narrative of resource nationalism Regardless of your politics, the falling cost of solar energy, combined with the inevitable rise of fossil fuel costs, makes the case for switching to renewable energy a no-brainer. In a decision between a (virtually) infinite energy source and a finite one, the infinite option should win, every time. American wallets have been bitten by a double threat; inflation of 7 per cent combined with rising energy costs. The rising energy costs are a result of international supply chain disruption related to Chinese demand and the oil producers’ cartel, Opec, withholding barrels to maintain international demand. Switching to solar energy could achieve the energy independence that America craves. Of course, increasing America’s dependence on solar energy also increases its dependence on lithium , the raw material used to manufacture batteries. Chinese entities now control about half of global lithium production and 60 per cent of electric battery production capacity. But we must remember, lithium-ion is not the holy grail of battery technology. From flow batteries to high-temperature nickel metal hydride batteries, battery technology research is fuelling a revolution that will relegate lithium-ion batteries to history’s footnotes, just like fossil fuels. In fact, there are energy solutions on the horizon that don’t require batteries at all. Researchers at Sandia National Labs are experimenting with thermal energy storage, which uses sunlight to heat up molten salt, which can then be turned into steam to power a turbine. This method mirrors coal energy production, but replaces coal with concentrated sunlight. Given the sheer pace of technological development, it’s clear that we won’t remain dependent on Chinese lithium for long. According to a report released by the Biden administration, 40 per cent of the US electricity supply could come from solar energy by 2035. While his agenda may be to reduce carbon emissions, the outcome could be an economic miracle. Yet in order to realise this, American families must be given economic incentives to invest in solar energy. By increasing the tax credit to 30 per cent, solar energy infrastructure can be made even more affordable to the average American household, leaving it with more money to spend in the local economy. Similarly, Biden’s clean energy plan encourages utility companies to generate more energy from carbon-free sources. Those who oppose Biden’s trillion-dollar bill, which includes plans for solar energy tax credits and incentives, claim that this will only add to the rising levels of inflation and debt. The opposite is true; solar energy could lay the groundwork for a more stable new energy economy, which will buffer America against future supply chain shocks. Failing to spend more at the federal level today will mean that average households pay more for energy tomorrow. Following the UN COP26 climate summit , the debate around climate change has dominated the conversation around solar energy. Climate change or not, the sun provides us with more energy than we could possibly consume, every day. The case for solar energy is undeniable, with or without the question of greenhouse gases. David Gomez is the CEO and founder of Clean Energy Solutions, one of the fastest-growing solar energy providers in California and Texas