Pure Market Forces Are Catapulting Renewable Energy Forward
I know there were those who doubted the overall premise of my most recent book: “Bullish on Renewable Energy,” i.e., that free-market economic forces alone are in the process of propelling renewable energy past fossil fuels in terms of our energy mix. But backing me up here is former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who, in this article, looks at a completely deregulated and unsubsidized energy market and comes up with his own conclusions that are even more bullish than my own. Enjoy.
For some reason I find that your links to articles at Forbes never work and I am brought to a cover page only. Perhaps a subscription or a particular operating platform are required. Under “fair use” you could quote a portion of the article even if it is protected.
Do many people question the general idea that mature renewable energy technologies can compete in the absence of subsidies anywhere? Existing subsidies and entitlements for fossil fuels do however create an uneven playing field and it is politically unpopular to remove them. It is far easier to offer matching subsidies for renewable energy.
In addition new technologies that have yet to work out problems, become more widely known as viable solutions and achieve economies of scale may always need some initial support. It is in our strategic interest to have a variety of options available even if they are not exclusively used in the marketplace. Nurturing and keeping even an “un-viable” technology alive is a function of government for the diversity (and security) it offers. In this way government provides a social function and should not be like the machinery of business.
It works; you just have to click through the home page and “continue to site.”
Yes, it is curious as there are no buttons, no click through options, no “continue to site” options and seemingly no hypertext on the page, just the screen shot.
Maybe try a different browser; the link is working.