Renewable Energy Industry Flexes its Muscles

As a year expected to be a booming one for renewable energy closes out its second month, the industry is looking to iron out the details that will ensure 2010 is a year to remember. That process begins by illustrating all that the RE industry has accomplished recently, especially the solar power industry. It finishes when vital regulations are enacted, including a national renewable energy standard that would ensure a positive outcome this year and for years to come.

The numbers are impressive for solar power. The industry added 20,000 jobs and 470 megawatts of generated solar electricity in 2009 alone, according to Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Resch added that solar could add another 45,000 in 2010 if certain federal incentives and grants set to expire at the end of the year are extended.

“I think 2010 is going to be a bigger year than 2009,” said Resch. “Most analysts expect the solar industry to grow by 100 percent this year.”

But that’s this year. The long-term success of renewable energy depends on legislative action by Congress. Beside the continued strength of existing incentives, the more expansive goal — that which would benefit the entire renewable energy industry equally — is a national renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that would require utilities to get a certain percentage of their energy from renewable sources before a set date in time.

Some 28 states have their own renewable standards that have helped advance clean energy there. But renewable industry insiders are pushing for a national standard that could move clean tech to the forefront in all 50 states. However, that notion is not without controversy in Congress, especially from coal-producing states and those that claim they don’t have the same renewable resources as other states.

Yet despite arguments over the details, the idea of a national energy standard is growing in popularity. Most of the populace has accepted clean energy as a definite part of our future, and players in Congress are beginning to respond. A few bills, including the Waxman-Markley climate change bill, contain provisions that would establish an RPS. Indeed, it is mostly bureaucracy and coal-dependent states, many of which have very little, if any, renewable infrastructure, that are holding up the process.

Nevertheless, the renewable industry is out pushing for beneficial legislation by touting both its recent accomplishments and its vast potential. 2010 looks to be a bright year for all renewable players, but it is to the long term that leaders are looking. The RE industry is hot right now, and they know there’s no better time to strike than while the iron is hot.

Source: Green Inc.

Photo Credit: Jupiter Free Images

Posted on February 22nd in Solar Politics by Dan.