America is struggling to build a 21st century economy on 20th-century energy technologies.  Artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and data centers are igniting a surge in energy demand, and our outdated systems are not able to keep pace. Energy costs are rising, infrastructure is aging, and regulations written for another era could cripple America’s next economic boom.

Energy makes everything else possible – if the U.S. wants to lead the next century, it needs to own the future of energy.

That’s why we’ve launched the Clean Economy Project (CleanEcon), a national effort to make clean energy the most affordable, reliable, and fastest way to power America’s economic future.

The Stakes: America’s Economic Edge

In the 20th century, nations raced to split the atom and conquer the skies. Today, they’re racing to master energy and computing power.  

Electricity is an engine of growth, from AI labs to advanced manufacturing, and the U.S. is squandering its head start. While America has been at the forefront of advancing technologies across the economy, unfortunately the power sector resists innovation. The electric grid is giving a rotary phone when the moment demands a smartphone.

Energy is the decisive factor that determines which economies scale, which falter, and which lead. It is an economic imperative to build, innovate, and invest in clean industries as fast as possible.

“America’s economic edge will be built or lost on energy. We built the grid that powered the industrial age. To lead in the next century we need a system built not for the past, but for the speed, scale, and complexity of what comes next. Energy is the oxygen of modern industry – essential, invisible, and too often taken for granted until it runs short.”

– Aliya Haq, President of the Clean Economy Project.

Turning Vision Into Action

CleanEcon reshapes the policy landscape to accelerate three drivers of clean energy growth: building; innovating; and investing. Our policy agenda will:  

• Make it easier to build energy projects quickly
• Accelerate innovation to lower costs
• Derisk private investment so industries can scale

The challenge is massive, but so is the opportunity. With the right reforms and investment, clean energy can be the lever that strengthens U.S. manufacturing, attracts new industries, and rebuilds America’s economic leadership.

“CleanEcon is addressing the energy sector problems that hinder policymakers and markets from growing our economy,” said Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association and board member of CleanEcon. “Industries from hyperscalers to manufacturers of all types want more energy options, and CleanEcon is a strong partner in removing barriers and lowering the cost of the carbon-emissions free energy that companies want to buy.”  

Who is the CleanEcon Team?

The CleanEcon team is comprised of ten people that come from the Breakthrough Energy policy program. Aliya Haq, former head of U.S. Policy and Advocacy at Breakthrough Energy, serves as the President of the non-profit initiative. CleanEcon operates at the intersection of policy, politics, and the private sector to unleash clean energy innovation and economic growth. 

The group has a strong track record of driving major legislative outcomes, and has brought together people with deep experience from government, startups, advocacy and philanthropy. CleanEcon has the policy expertise, campaign instincts, and operational agility to make an impact in today’s polarized environment and fragmented communications landscape. The organization is known for flexibility, adapting quickly to new realities and working with a diverse set of partners across the political and economic spectrum.