e360 digest
23 Jul 2009:
Spread of ‘Feed-in Tariffs’
Will Expand U.S. Renewable Energy Use
A popular consumer program that has helped catalyze Germany’s solar-power boom is beginning to spread throughout the United States. The policy, known as feed-in tariffs, offers homeowners and other small-scale producers of renewable energy favorable long-term contracts — often above market rates — when they sell electricity to the central power grid. The New York Times reports that Washington state, Vermont, and cities such as Sacramento, Calif. and Gainesville, Fla. have all adopted feed-in tariff programs. The program approved by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which serves 1.4 million people, will offer homeowners with solar panels or windmills contracts of up to 20 years to sell electricity to the grid. The utility said that some homeowners have already inquired about installing additional solar or wind capacity on their spare land and generating electricity for the region. Feed-in tariffs have been a boon to solar development in Germany, as they assure homeowners that the initial up-front investment for solar panels or windmills can be recouped over time.
Yale Environment 360 is
a publication of the
Yale School of Forestry
& Environmental Studies.
DEPARTMENTS
OpinionReports
Analysis
Interviews
e360 Digest
TOPICS
BiodiversityBusiness & Innovation
Climate
Energy
Forests
Oceans
Policy & Politics
Pollution & Health
Science & Technology
Sustainability
Water
REGIONS
Antarctica and the ArcticAfrica
Asia
Australia
Central & South America
Europe
Middle East
North America
ABOUT
About e360Contact
Submission Guidelines
Reprints
CONNECT
BookmarkEmail newsletter
Twitter: YaleE360
e360 on Facebook
Share e360
Subscribe to our feed:
Top Image: aerial view of Iceland. © Google & TerraMetrics.
OF INTEREST
