US Democrats’ televised debate: solar, storage and cost of the climate crisis

LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders proposed ‘StorageShot’, based on the Obama administration’s SunShot R&D initiative to bring down the cost of solar. Image: Flickr user Gage Skidmore.

On Wednesday, the ten Democratic presidential hopefuls discussed their environment and energy priorities during a televised town hall meeting in New York City.

Some candidates, like Cory Booker, specifically unveiled their climate change agendas ahead of the marathon seven-hour event.

But how do solar, energy storage, electricity and renewable promises compare across the top-polling candidates? Our sister site PV Tech has analysed their platforms to find out.

Joe Biden

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Poll frontrunner Joe Biden backs net-zero emissions by 2050, bolstered by US$1.7 trillion of federal funding over 10 years. In addition, his government intends to secure additional private sector, state and local investments to bring the total up to more than US$5 trillion.

The former vice-president wants to invest US$400 billion – or “twice the investment of the Apollo program which put a man on the moon, in today’s dollars” – in clean energy and climate research, and establish “targeted programs” that would develop renewables on federal lands and waters. Biden has a goal of doubling offshore wind by 2030.

In addition, a Biden presidency would establish a new government-wide clean energy export and climate investment initiative. The scheme would promote American clean energy exports and investments around the world and offer incentives for US firms that supply low-carbon solutions to the international market.

To read how all the candidates fared at the post-Jay Inslee-drops-out watershed event hosted by CNN, visit PV Tech for the full version of this story.

Read Next

September 18, 2026
In this US news roundup, Eos has received an advance on its DOE loan, FlexGen and Lighshift have partnered on 16 BESS projects, and Georgia Power has energised a 128MW BESS.
September 18, 2026
US battery energy storage system (BESS) developer-operator Jupiter Power has closed a US$1.4 billion financing, supporting 10 US BESS projects totalling 3,600MWh of capacity.
September 18, 2026
The US has pledged financial support towards an existing 400MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) portfolio in Ukraine.
Premium
September 17, 2026
Energy-Storage.news Premium speaks with Randolph Mann, CEO at developer esVolta at the 2026 US Battery Asset Management Summit in Garden Grove, California.
September 17, 2026
The transition of battery energy storage systems (BESS) from development to operations remains fraught with technical gaps and communication breakdowns.