Tim Pawlenty was a two-term Republican governor of Minnesota and made a run in the 2012 presidential primary, which ultimately went to Mitt Romney. Now, Pawlenty has reemerged on the national political scene as the leading evangelist for solar energy, while the industry seeks to recover from a stinging political defeat.
In June, Pawlenty took over as president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, the largest solar-specific trade group in the U.S. He steps into the job at a uniquely turbulent moment in the industry’s history. Solar developers had revved up to take advantage of the supportive policies in President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, only to have Republicans win back control of D.C. in 2024 and gut the climate law in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“The current state is relatively bleak,” Pawlenty said of solar’s political clout in Washington. “But … nothing stays the same in politics, and there’s hope in what’s to come in the future.” He was speaking during my onstage interview with him Tuesday at Canary Media’s Climate Week NYC summit on the energy transition in rural America, one of Pawlenty’s first public appearances in his new role.
Despite the setbacks in Congress, solar is far and away the biggest source of electricity getting built in the country right now, and has been for several years. Factor in the “ unbelievable exploding demand for energy in our country,” and the business fundamentals for solar and storage have never looked stronger.
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