On May 2 The Hill published a column by AWEA data spinner Michael Goggin, “Wind energy protects consumers,” in which the reader is regaled by tales of great service and low, low prices provided by the wind energy industry. Sorting through the claims led me back to the AWEA blog, where among other things Goggin …
Awea Brags About Wind Energy’s Mediocre Performance Read More »
Michael Giberson President Obama’s budget request will call on Congress to pass legislation offering consumers a rebate of as much as $7,500 for purchasing electric vehicles. The rebate plan is part of a three-part proposal outlined by the Department of Energy Tuesday that will be included in Obama’s budget request, slated to be released Monday. …
What About Electric Bikes? and Regular Bikes? and Can I Get a Pony? Read More »
Michael Giberson In the Washington Monthly, Jeffrey Leonard argues that the president and Congress should join together to kill all energy subsidies. While sorting out what is and isn’t an energy subsidy can be tricky (the U.S. tax code isn’t exactly transparent in all respects), and I doubt a political majority can actually stomach the …
Michael Giberson It is harder to hand out subsidies than you think, or at least hard to do it well. The Arizona Republic explains some of the difficulties utilities in the state are having with their renewable energy subsidy programs. For example, when Salt River Project announced it was going to cut it’s subsidy for …
Michael Giberson The New York Times has a fascinating story on the solar power industry boom and bust in Spain created by shifting public policies. Similar effects have been observed from shifts in subsidy support for renewable power development in the United States, though because the subsidy was smaller and spread over a larger area …
Shifting Policy Extinguishes Short-lived Spanish Solar Boom, Fortunately Read More »
Michael Giberson I’m not necessarily opposed to government funding for research, but does General Electric really need taxpayer funds in order to do research on high-temperature electronics intended to support high tech oil and gas drilling? Isn’t this exactly the kind of applied product research that, together, patent protections and markets can manage just fine? …
Michael Giberson I am mildly amazed that it is possible to take something as simple as, say, palm oil or soybean oil, and – with a few relatively simple chemical tricks – turn it into motor vehicle fuel. [See it on YouTube.] However, I’m not so amazed that I’m willing to pay you or anyone …
U.S. Biodiesel Continues to Need Taxpayer Support, or Else… Read More »
Michael Giberson In Grist, Adam Browing asks, “Does the Wall Street Journal employ anyone who understands energy markets?” Browning’s question and his answer seem just a little off, as I’ll discuss below, but first an excerpt from Browning: Actually, I think they do. I think Keith Johnson knows quite a bit about energy markets. Which …
Michael Giberson From RenewableEnergyWorld, an news release from solar developer Conergy: Going Green Reaches Economic Tipping Point at Wine and Shine 2009 Solar Energy Experts Conergy and Three Renowned California Vintners Showcase How Today’s Clean, Renewable Solar Energy Solutions Can Reap Millions In Cash Rebates, Tax Incentives and Energy Savings PASO ROBLES, CA – April …
Michael Giberson Wind power has been subsidized by state and federal governments in the United States because it is seen as clean and renewable, and perhaps even because wind power is seen as glamorous. Consumers pay higher electric rates and taxpayers pay higher taxes to support these subsidies, and it is a quite reasonable public …
Environmental Benefits and the Production Tax Credit for Wind Power Read More »
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