A new report “America’s Energy Choices” by the non-partisan think-tank American Security Project released March 7 determined that the U.S.’s energy policy needs to change. However, the report found that politics are blocking important moves forward including the expansion of clean energy.

The study also found that the U.S.’s electric demands are set to increase by 25 percent by 2035, that all current generation will need to be replaced by then and that the U.S. needs to focus on three things, energy security, economic stability and environmental sustainability.

“Solar is a part of the report. We do think that renewable energy, and all sources, is due to grow and is important for energy security,” said report author Andrew Holland, senior fellow for energy and climate at the American Security Project. “Solar is less utilized in the U.S. than in Europe, but we think there’s a lot of growth potential.”

The technology behind solar is developing rapidly at this point, which could spur its quick development in the coming years. But the development of solar is being hindered.

“It has been kind of suffering from a lack of coherent government support,” Holland said. Government support is the reason why it has done well in Spain, Italy and Germany. “While here it’s really become more of a political football.”

It’s also not helpful some Republicans and Democrats are at odds over solar.

“One side is moving away from solar while the other side wants to support it,” Holland said. The incentives and programs that have supported it have moved back and forth like a pendulum. “That’s no way to give a business any sort of sustainability.”

Among other things, the report found that as the U.S. looks to meet its energy needs in the future it must create flexibility, competition and redundancy, to help protect consumers and producers from energy price shocks.

The report also determined that higher, but more stable prices are better than short-term drops in energy costs, because they allow people to better plan their energy usage.

Finally the report found that the country needs reduce its emissions.

“The fossil fuels the United States uses to produce 83 percent of its energy are the main driver of climate change,” it said. An energy plan must consider reducing the amount of power produced, or replace energy production with non-emitting energy sources.