Vote. Vote. Vote. It can’t be understated that today is an incredibly important day for our industry. Solar is supported by over 85% of Americans from both sides of the aisle except in DC and State capitols were incumbent interests have financial interests counter to our sector. We need strong support in the Senate and the White House that believe in the future growth of solar.
Useless tax credits. The law firm, Chadbourne & Park, comes out with an interesting analysis of the future of tax credits in a Trump White House. Cutting corporate tax rates means less money is owed which means less demand for tax credits. Let’s be thankful that Congress writes the tax code.
21st century jobs in energy. There is no doubt that our electric infrastructure is worn out. A new book chronicles the details. With half a million Americans losing power for two or more hours every day, the average American loses power for 360 minutes per year. With the addition of renewable energy, the job impact could be much broader than just the generation but also the implementation of how to move those electrons.
The cost of uncertainty. If you look at the market over the past few weeks, you can see that a politically uncertain environment costs money. In the UK, post Brexit, the uncertainty casts deep shadows on the renewable energy industry. Government’s biggest role for long term investors is to create a system with as few unknowns as possible. Whether at the State level, a la Nevada, or Federal level i.e. tax credits, it is vital to create known-knowns for investors.
The future is certain. Climate change wasn’t asked about once during the debates and barely made an appearance during the campaign. Energy was a talking point here or there but one thing is certain. Renewable energy will be a central part of the future of politics in the US. State politics are seeing unprecented grassroots and incumbent money fighting over it. Federal election voters are changing their votes based on a candidates position on issues like solar. Going forward the politics of energy will be a central part of our coverage. The politics of energy policy will be front and center on both sides of the aisle going forward.
- Bloomberg: Trump’s Tax Proposals Would Threaten Wind and Solar Investment
- EDF: Fraying Wires – How Policymakers Can Fix America’s Electricity Infrastructure
- PV-Magazine: North Carolina issues conflicting orders on Duke’s interconnection rules
- Forbes: The Woman-Led Company That Reinvented Solar For Homeowners
- Vox: The unthinkably high stakes for climate change that we’ve completely ignored this election
- New York Times: For Renewable Energy, Brexit Spurs Mixed Prospects
- Reuters: Solar power agency Masen issues Morocco’s first green bond
- Long Beach Press Telegram: The home solar market is full of sales tricks
Opinion
Have a great day!
Yann