Feed in Tariffs (FiT’s) are a government set price or amount that a power producer like wind turbine owners can expect to receive as payment for their power produced.
They have proven to be the fastest and cheapest way to promote massive growth in renewable energy, but all importantly, while still protecting the public interest by paying only for energy delivered. Paying only for energy delivered should be preferred. You know the deal: you work-you get paid.
That would be unlike tax breaks and grants, which are the current method here in the USA, both of which are currently spurring a snails-pace growth and costing you and I quite a bit in unpaid taxes, direct grant money (both mostly only available to already wealthy individuals and companies with multi-millions of dollars in profits) and lost time as these very receivers of these “incentives” are in some cases companies that do not want renewable energy….. yet.
Without FiT’s, like we have now here in the USA, renewable energy investment is very risky. In other countries, like Denmark, these government-set prices (just like we currently have government-set electric prices), and the demand that the utility companies must buy that electricity at that price, have spurred massive growth in renewable energy. It has even caused the emergence of Denmark as an industry-leading superpower on the wind turbine scene.
That guaranteed price has allowed a massive industry, not just at home but as an export market, to emerge from this tiny country. They hedged their bets on clean power, taking care of their own economy and ecology, and in the process, fostered an industry that is now the world leader.
Other European countries have followed suit, to success as well, in instituting clean energy systems, namely Germany, Sweden, Spain and others. Most recently, Canada has entered the game, as well.
Please find out about it from a very reliable source:
Alliance for Renewable Energy – Why FiT’s
So why don’t we already have a system here in the USA like this? What is holding this great nation back from doing not only what will absolutely be necessary, but is also the right thing for our economy and ecology?
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