The sun has provided him with cheap electricity for 25 years, and this month he installed fourth-generation solar panels on his home in Vermont. In an interview after setting up the new system, he said President Donald Trump’s stance against solar and other cheap green energy will hurt Republicans in this year’s elections as electricity bills rise.
After the Biden and Obama administrations subsidized and promoted solar, wind and other green energy as the answer to climate change, Trump is trying to suppress those energy sources in favor of older, dirtier fossil fuels. Trump administration freezes five major offshore wind projects last month but This week a judge allowed Three of the projects were restored. federal Clean energy tax incentives expire on December 31 These include installing home solar panels.
at the same time, Electricity prices are rising In the United States, McKibben is counting on this to spark political change.
“I think you’re now starting to see this have a huge political impact in the United States. My prediction is that the price of electricity in the 2026 election will be like the price of eggs in the 2024 election,” said McKibben, an author and founder of several environmental and activist groups. every day Inflation hurts Democrats Analysts say that during the last presidential election.
On Friday, the Trump administration and a bipartisan group of governors trying to increase pressure The nation’s largest grid operator is being asked to take emergency measures to increase power supplies in the mid-Atlantic and prevent further increases in electricity bills.
“Ensuring the American people have reliable and affordable power is one of President Trump’s top priorities,” White House spokesman Tyler Rogers said.
Global renewable energy prices fall
Globally, the price of wind and solar energy is plummeting, making it even cheaper than fossil fuels. United Nations established. and China leads the world In the field of renewable energy technology, one of the Electric car company surpasses Tesla in annual sales.
“We can’t compete economically in a world where China has access to a lot of cheap energy and we have to pay for very expensive energy,” McKibben told The Associated Press after installing a new type of solar panel that can be hung effortlessly on a balcony.
when trump took office The national average electricity bill in January 2025 is 15.94 cents per kilowatt hour. By September, the price rose to 18.07 cents before falling slightly to 17.98 cents in October, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
That’s a 12.8% increase in 10 months. The increase in 10 months exceeded that of the previous two years. people are Maryland, New Jersey and Maine Since October 2024, electricity prices have risen three times faster than the national average.
At 900 kilowatt hours per month, this means the average monthly electricity bill will increase by approximately $18 compared to January 2025.
Democrats blame Trump for rising electricity bills
This week, Democrats on Capitol Hill blamed rising electricity bills on Trump and his distaste for renewable energy.
“From day one, he has made it his mission to limit Americans’ access to cheap energy, all to increase the profits of his friends in the fossil fuel industry. As a result, energy bills have skyrocketed across the country,” Illinois Rep. Sean Casten said at a news conference Wednesday.
“Donald Trump is the first president to intentionally raise the price of something we all need,” Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “No one should be keen on paying more for electricity and this nationwide solar ban is making everyone pay more. Clean is cheap and cheap is clean.”
McKibben installs solar panels on Vermont home
McKibben has been sending excess electricity from his solar panels to the Vermont grid for years. Now he’s sending more.
McKibben, who calls his home in Vermont’s Green Mountains a “museum of solar technology,” had his new panels up and running in about 10 minutes as his dog Birke stood nearby. This type of panel from California-based company Bright Saver is often called plug-in solar. Although the style is not yet widely used in the United States, McKibben notes that it is popular in Europe and Australia.
“Americans spend three to four times more than Australians or Europeans to put solar panels on their roofs. Our permitting system is overly complex and unlike anything else on the planet,” McKibben said.
McKibben says Australians can get Three hours of free electricity Government programs are passed every day as so many solar panels are built in the country.
“I’m almost certain that this is an argument that every American will understand,” he said. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t say, ‘I want three hours of free electricity.'”
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Swinehart reported from Vermont. Borenstein reported from Washington. Matthew Daly contributed to this report in Washington.
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Environmentalist and author Bill Mckibben poses for a photo while getting new plug-in solar panels, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Ripton, Vermont (AP Photo/Amanda Swinhart)
| Photo Metadata (2/2) | |
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| date | January 17, 2026 09:01 |
| title | climate activist green energy |
| source | Associated Press |
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