tax incentives
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U.S. energy policy as a teenage boy
With all the media frenzy around the Japanese nuclear situation, one topic hasn’t been covered much : Why don’t the Japanese love fossil fuels? Not only have they pushed hard into nuke but they’re also world-beaters in photovoltaics, electric vehicles, and energy efficiency. How come? The economic incentives are pretty obvious: Japan doesn’t have any […]
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What oil subsidies is Obama targeting?
The president has proposed eliminating subsidies to the oil industry. Here are some that he should focus on bringing to an end:
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Federal solar tax credits rule out half of Americans
The difference between democratizing clean energy policies and the U.S. system can be illustrated with a look at the federal solar tax credit.
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Is it politically realistic to eliminate energy subsidies?
Previously I wrote about the policy question of "getting rid of all energy subsidies." But what about the politics? Could it actually happen?
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Should we get rid of all energy subsidies?
Should the U.S. get rid of all energy subsidies? In a new piece for Washington Monthly, Jeffrey Leonard argues that we should. Is that a good idea?
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Federal solar incentives cost schools ownership opportunity
This is part of a series on distributed renewable energy. It originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. There’s been a fair amount of news about the spread of solar carports in California, highlighting the Milpitas School District’s 14 distributed solar PV arrays. According to a […]
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Perverse policy makes distributed renewables more expensive
I’ve talked previously about the perversity of using tax credits to incentivize renewable energy production, increasing transaction costs and reducing participation in renewable energy development. But there are other perversities in U.S. state and utility renewable energy policies, especially with upfront rebates and net metering.
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Clean energy grants extended for a year; still a dumb way to do things
It looks like a one-year extension of the renewable-energy grant program has made it into the tax bill now brewing in Congress. It's much, much better than the alternative, but it's also no way to run a country.
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We should pay to shut down dirty old coal plants
“You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Inspired by this adage, we could create a positive financial incentive to induce power companies to shut down old coal plants. And because coal plants are so costly to society, a Cash for Coal Clunkers program could be revenue neutral.