U.S. Renewable Energy Industries Say Long-Term Growth Reliant on Government Action

Thanks to the stimulus package, U.S. geothermal and solar industries achieved record growth in 2009, however both industries say long-term growth relies on more clean energy public policy being passed.

Money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will continue to flow into alternative energy sectors in 2010; so, this year is expected to be another growth year for clean energy technologies.  Nevertheless, trade associations such as the Geothermal Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association say there are particular actions the government needs to take in order to continue to develop a green economy; these include:

• Processing Project Applications Faster - The Department of Interior, which manages one-fifth of the U.S. landmass, has said it plans to end the bureaucratic gridlock which has stymied the approval of commercial-scale renewable energy projects.  Currently, the Department of Interior is processing 128 solar applications; it plans to fast-track 13 of these for approval by the end of the year.   On the geothermal end, the industry is waiting for more of the 190 million acres of land with geothermal potential to be opened for leasing--at the moment only 1.2 million acres have been leased.

• Passing a Renewable Energy Standard - Long-term renewable energy growth would be anchored by the creation of a national Renewable Energy Standard (RES) which would require every state to generate a certain percentage of their electricity from clean sources.  U.S. solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal industries have asked congress to pass a RES that would require utilities in every state to produce 25% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

• Passing a Clean Energy Bill - The U.S. has yet to pass a thorough energy bill that calls for a federal cap on its greenhouse gas emissions, sets up a cap-and-trade or carbon tax program, and mandates the development of alternative energy sources.  The Waxman-Markey bill continues to sit in the Senate without much progress being made.

Read the full story at Solve Climate: Anxious Geothermal, Solar Industries Looking to U.S. Interior for a Hand