Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Incentives Watch: Solar Energy Receives Voter Support in the United States

It appears to be solar energy’s time to shine. Further solar energy development is supported by 92 percent of U.S. voters, according to a CleanEnergyAuthority.com article. The poll was conducted by Hart Research for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

Despite the SEIA poll’s results, a different poll coming up November 6th will determine which renewable energy policy is to be in effect for the next four years at the national level. Republican candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have differing viewpoints on incentives for solar and other alternative energies, according to an MIT Technology Review article. Republicans feel that taxpayers shouldn’t be “subsidizing” alternative energy with tax credits, whereas most Democrats feel that taxpayers should be supporting the use of renewable energy to help the U.S. stay competitive abroad.

It’s interesting that on the state level, however, solar energy incentives are being offered in blue states, such as California, as well as red states, such as Indiana and Iowa. In fact, solar energy is increasingly expanding to different types of projects, such as the use of solar arrays at the film studios where the Avatar sequels are being made, the CleanEnergyAuthority.com article points out.