Renewed pessimism for prospects of renewable energy

Consumer Reports News: August 05, 2010 10:37 AM

It's not shaping up to be a sunny day for renewable energy. Industry leaders are smarting over the $1.5 billion in renewable energy loan guarantees that were slashed from a $26.1 billion package for states and teachers. The bill is expected to pass the Senate later today. "Solar investors, who have relied on the existence of the loan guarantee program when making their business plans, and the industry's tens of thousands of employees, would be left high and dry," writes Daniel Adamson, vice president, government affairs with the Solar Energy Industries Association, in a last-minute plea to the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid maintains that support for renewables had to go in order to pay for the larger bill. "While [clean energy] is a priority for Senator Reid, so is protecting the jobs of teachers and first responders, and that is what this bill is all about," spokesman Jim Manley writes on Politico.com. "The decision to enact these rescissions was a way to make sure we could protect hundreds of thousands of jobs, and do it in a way that does not add to the deficit."

In our ongoing tests of water heaters, solar-powered models (see image) continue to deliver potential savings, especially in warmer climates.

—Daniel DiClerico

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Renewed pessimism for prospects of renewable energy

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