Solar energy is sunlight that has been transformed into thermal or electrical energy. The United States contains among of the world's most prolific and cleanest solar resource bases. Solar energy is the most abundant and clean renewable energy source currently available. Solar technology can capture this energy for a range of purposes, such as electricity generation, interior lighting, and water heating for household, commercial, and industrial use.

In order to move the U.S. toward a clean energy economy, solar power coexists with other technologies like wind power in a complicated and interconnected electricity infrastructure in the country.

For consumers and companies to have equal access to sustainable energy technologies like solar, all of these applications rely on supportive regulatory frameworks at the local, state, and federal levels.