Last week, SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper appeared live on The Weather Channel’s AMHQ to discuss the role of solar energy and storage in the United States.

Nine out of 10 Americans support more solar energy being installed, but many people think you need to live in a traditionally sunny state like Florida or Arizona to harness the power of the sun. That is not the case.

Ms. Hopper was able to reach hundreds of thousands of Americans on The Weather Channel and used the opportunity to dispel common misconceptions about solar deployment in the United States. Let’s run though some:

Because solar panels can absorb both direct and indirect light, we can harness the sun’s energy even when it is overcast, making solar a viable option no matter how much sunshine you get. States like New Jersey and Massachusetts, which rank 7th and 8th nationally for total installed solar capacity, are leading on solar because of smart policy that support the growth of clean, renewable energy. In addition, these states tend to have higher electricity bills, making it even more valuable to consumers with high electricity bills.

A common misconception is that the price of solar makes it inaccessible, but rapidly declining costs have made the opposite true. “The cost of solar has fallen about 70% in the last decade, making it much more affordable for all Americans,” said Abigail Ross Hopper to anchors Jen Carfagno and Tevin Wooten. “We have about 10,000% more solar than we did a decade ago and as we deploy more, costs come down and [our process] becomes more efficient.”

Hopper went on to speak about the key role that energy storage plays in the advancement of the U.S. solar industry.

“The ability to store energy is changing the way that businesses and consumers are enjoying solar energy,” said Hopper. “This will continue as the cost of storage comes down, more consumers will be using solar+ storage.”

Policies like the solar Investment Tax Credit help build this momentum and increase solar deployment, create hundreds of thousands of clean energy careers for Americans and more. SEIA needs your help to defend this proven tax policy. Tell your members of Congress to support the Renewable Energy Extension Act to make solar energy more affordable and accessible for all Americans.

As we enter the Solar+ Decade, it is more important than ever to build public support and enthusiasm for renewable energy. We must keep the industry’s tremendous growth going to transform our nation into a clean energy economy.