Further Thoughts on the Economics of Losing the Federal Solar Tax Credit

Date: 12 Oct 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Amid the discussion over ending the federal solar tax credit in 2015, I published an analysis of the less-than-expected hit to residential solar costs. I made a big mistake. Instead of a 2.5% cost increase, the impact of the expired tax credit would be closer to 13.3%. But a revised and deeper investigation also shows our … Read More

Congress Gets Renewable Tax Credit Extension Right

Date: 5 Jan 2016 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In case you missed it over the holiday, Congress passed a new federal budget, notably extending tax credits for solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies. The extension differs from previous ones in two ways: it extends the credits for multiple years but also (as ILSR has been discussing since 2012) phases them out over time. … Read More

Planning for Phasing Out Incentives

Date: 26 Dec 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Over the next decade, solar electricity will let consumers get cheaper energy from their rooftop than from their utility. Among the upheaval in the electricity system, the coming of solar “grid parity” means re-thinking incentives for solar energy. The success of solar is remarkable, no less because the amount of federal subsidy in absolute terms has … Read More

A Community Solar Gold Standard – Episode 9 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 17 May 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Podcast | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Joy Hughes was living in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, a place with a “tremendous amount of solar potential,” so good that the valley’s residents were being overwhelmed by proposals for large scale solar power plants. One had a “field of things like radar dishes” and another included a “600 foot tower.” The influx of outside companies seeking solar profit led Joy to ask, “Why not just set up solar arrays that can provide power for people in the local community and offset their electric bills?”… Read More

Watch: 5 Barriers To and Solutions for Community Renewable Energy

Date: 3 May 2013 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 3 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Community renewable energy has significant political and economic benefits, but is often hindered by five major barriers. Watch this vividly illustrated presentation to learn how communities can overcome the barriers and advance more local renewable energy. ILSR Senior Researcher John Farrell gave this presentation as part of a Sustainable Economies Law Center webinar on April 30, … Read More

Forthcoming Project in Washington State Illustrates Complexity of Community Solar

Date: 27 Aug 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Colorado just launched their long-awaited community solar gardens law (program subscribed in 30 minutes) and California is progressing on a virtual net metering law that could remove one of many roadblocks to community solar.  But the Vashon Community Solar Project in Washington State shows that doing solar community-style hasn’t become easy. The Vashon project will be … Read More

States Try Variants of Feed-In Tariff to Help Connect Solar, Wind Power to Grid

Date: 20 Jun 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Media Coverage | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

E&E News – Tuesday, June 19, 2012 While much of the renewable energy sector remains focused on extending federal tax credits for wind, solar and other alternative fuels, utilities and small-scale energy producers in more than a dozen states are forging ahead with programs that pay renewable energy producers a fixed rate for power they put … Read More

Phase-Out of the Federal Wind Tax Credit a Good Thing?

Date: 14 Jun 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 4 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Energy and Environment News has a very long story on a new angle for the federal wind tax credit debate: a phaseout. This article raises several issues, apart from that policy strategy, that are worth a quick discussion. 1. Why Would Wind Compete with Natural Gas? The article waxes long about the trials of the wind … Read More

Local Solar Could Solve ‘Massive Supply-Demand Imbalance’ in Renewable Energy Financing

Date: 1 May 2012 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In the next two years, the U.S. may get a lot less solar and wind power than it could. It’s not a shortage of solar panels or the cost of turbines.  Rather, it’s a problem of the perverse nature of federal incentives for renewable energy.  Right now, the owner of a solar or wind energy project … Read More

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