Solar Has Had its Day in the Sun – It’s Time to Level the Playing Field (Fox and Hounds Daily)
Thanks in part to state and federal tax benefits, as well as strong state clean energy policies, the large-scale solar energy industry has boomed. By the end of the decade, commercial solar is expected to make up about seven percent of our state’s electricity supply. This is in stark contrast to other types of renewables whose portion of the energy mix is projected to decline, due to waning tax credits and expiring contracts. Still, solar energy developers have been working behind the scenes to sneak continuation of an industry-specific property tax exemption into the state budget deal, further tipping the playing field in their direction.
According to
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) projections, the contribution of utility-scale solar energy projects to the state’s renewable resource electricity supply is projected to increase more than 1,200 percent between 2012 and 2020. The original intent of the property tax exemption was to help launch what was once a fledgling industry. But that time has come and gone, and today solar is thriving.
The outlook is not so sunny for other renewables.
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