The really good news today with the Federal Government Omnibus Bill passing the House and most likely the Senate is that government agencies won’t shut down. Another positive achievement is that Solar tax credits have been extended . For now RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL Solar prospects and customers can count on the same rules for the next couple of years. We’ll have new guidance on tax credit changes to expect after 2018 soon.One consequence of the wrangling on this bill is that in exchange for extending the tax credits for solar and other renewables , the oil industry is now allowed to export domestically produced oil; essentially that is an incentive for more greenhouse gas emissions globally. Keep in mind the myriad oil and natural gas industry tax credits dwarf those for renewables and were never in danger of expiring.
While the solar industry is encouraged to celebrate, environmentalists are grumbling and rightly so . That is not a good recipe for cohesive social action. When we first started in the solar business in the 1980’s we were responding to the demand in western Mass from consumers who were making a moral choice to not support fossil fuel and nuclear energy. Fortunately our present customers are still motivated more by their environmental concerns than financial gain . We really have to keep fossil fuels in the ground and make every effort to restore natural balance to the atmosphere and ethical balance to energy policy.
Posted By: cdk . (2015-12-18)