On the upside, there's a happy solar lining to the deeply loathed and pricey bailout. The excellent news: domestic solar energy and green jobs will finally get a chance to go mainstream with the bill now extending federal investment tax credits for renewable energy providers, especially in solar energy development. Better late than never! Even though solar power currently represents not even 1% of the $3 trillion global energy market, industry professionals are saying that California is positioned to be both the world's next big solar market and its entrepreneurial center. via Grist Muckraker:
"Congress last week passed long-awaited extensions to tax credits for solar, wind, geothermal, and other forms of clean energy; they were attached to the financial bailout package that President Bush signed last Friday. Renewable-energy companies let out a big sigh of relief, happy that months of delays and petty squabbles over the tax credits were over. The legislation also provides incentives for the development of oil shale, tar sands, and coal-to-liquid fuels, which environmentalists are less happy about. But overall, renewables advocates and enviros are delighted that Congress finally got the tax-credit extensions through, just before adjourning for election season. As for how happy they feel about the bailout package in general, well, that's another story."
No comments:
Post a Comment