Longtime climate activist Bill McKibben finds hope in solar energy despite the Trump administration rolling back environmental regulations and freezing offshore wind projects.
One construction worker killed, one critically injured after crash on Crosby FreewayWoman dies after being shot at NW Houston apartment; 3 children unharmed inside apartmentDozens of fires at vacant buildings raise safety concerns across Houston area Environment alist and author Bill Mckibben , left, discusses his new plug-in solar panel installation with Bright Saver co-founder and technical director Rupert Mayer outside his home on Monday, Jan.
12, 2026, in Ripton, Vt. Environmentalist and author Bill Mckibben poses for a portrait as he gets new plug-in solar panels on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Ripton, Vt. Environmentalist and author Bill Mckibben, left, discusses his new plug-in solar panel installation with Bright Saver co-founder and technical director Rupert Mayer outside his home on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Ripton, Vt. spiked, longtime climate activist Bill McKibben finds hope in something that didn't seem that strong on a recent single-digit-temperature day: the sun. That sun has provided him cheap power for 25 years, and this month he installed his fourth iteration of solar panels on his Vermont home. In an interview after he set up the new system, he said President Donald Trump's stance against solar and other cheap green energy will hurt the GOP in this year's elections as electricity bills rise.After the Biden and Obama administrations subsidized and championed solar, wind and other green power as answers to fight climate change, Trump has tried to dampen those and turn to older and dirtier fossil fuels.“I think you’re starting to see that have a big political impact in the U.S. right now. My prediction would be that electric prices are going to be to the 2026 election what egg prices were to the 2024 election,” said McKibben, an author and founder of multiple environmental and activist groups. Everydayon the operator of the nation’s largest electric grid to take urgent steps to boost power supplies in the mid-Atlantic and keep electricity bills from rising even higher. “Ensuring the American people have reliable and affordable electricity is one of President Trump’s top priorities,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers.Globally, the price of wind and solar power is plummeting to the point that they are cheaper than fossil fuels, the "We can’t economically compete in a world where China gets a lot of cheap energy and we have to pay for really expensive energy," McKibben told The Associated Press, just after he installed a new type of solar panels that can hang on balconies with little fuss.cents per kilowatt-hour. By September it was up to 18.07 cents and then down slightly to 17.98 cents in October, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That's a 12.8% increase in 10 months. It rose more in 10 months than the previous two years. People inAt 900 kilowatt-hours per month, that means the average monthly electricity bill is about $18 more than in January 2025.This week, Democrats on Capitol Hill blamed rising electric bills on Trump and his dislike of renewable energy. “From his first day in office, he’s made it his mission to limit American’s access to cheap energy, all in the name of increasing profits for his friends in the fossil fuel industry. As a result, energy bills across the country have skyrocketed," Illinois Rep. Sean Casten said at a Wednesday news conference. “Donald Trump is the first president to intentionally raise the price of something that we all need,” Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, also a Democrat, said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “Nobody should be enthused about paying more for electricity, and this national solar ban is making everybody pay more. Clean is cheap and cheap is clean.”McKibben has been sending excess electricity from his solar panels to the Vermont grid for years. Now he's sending more. As his dog, Birke, stood watch, McKibben, who refers to his home nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont as a “museum of solar technology" got his new panels up and running in about 10 minutes. This type of panel from the California-based firm Bright Saver is often referred to as“Americans spend three or four times as much money as Australians or Europeans to put solar panels on the roof. We have an absurdly overcomplicated permitting system that’s unlike anything else on the rest of the planet," McKibben said.“And I’m almost certain that that’s an argument that every single person in America would understand," he said."I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t say: ‘I’d like three free hours of electricity.’”The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’sCopyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.2 arrested following police chase which ended in crash in Highland Village shopping centerCedar Pollen Alert: Texas Faces Surge in AllergiesUber drivers face federal kidnapping charges related to inappropriate conduct with passengersHouston can expect COLD TEMPERATURES this weekendBaytown Police search two homes in SW Houston nearly two years after disappearanceCrew 11 splashes down early after NASA member has medical concernSuspect in Spring ISD student kidnapping faces new sexual abuse charge involving childHeaven’s 27 Foundation: Turning Tragedy into Camp Safety Reform
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Climate activist says Trump stance on renewable energy could hurt GOPLongtime climate activist Bill McKibben finds hope in solar energy despite the Trump administration rolling back environmental regulations and freezing offshore wind projects. He points to rising electricity prices in the U.S. McKibben predicts electricity prices will be a major issue in the 2026 election.
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Climate activist predicts high electricity prices and Trump's attacks on green energy will hurt GOPLongtime climate activist Bill McKibben finds hope in solar energy despite the Trump administration rolling back environmental regulations and freezing offshore wind projects.
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