Isaac Orr, vice president of research, and Sarah Montalbano, energy policy analyst at Always On Energy Research, were published in The Wall Street Journal on May 27, 2026.
The Solar Energy Industries Association announced on May 11 that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will serve as its next CEO. He’s the latest recruit in an industry push to buy credibility as Republican support for solar power collapses.
Mr. Pawlenty says that expanding solar power will lower costs for families and businesses. He should check on how the renewable-energy mandates enacted during his governorship (2003-11) have increased costs in Minnesota.
In 2007, Gov. Pawlenty signed the Next Generation Energy Act, which mandated that by 2025 renewable electricity make up 25% of state consumption and that greenhouse gases be reduced by 30%. His embrace of wind and solar didn’t lower prices.