Tax breaks for solar, electric vehicles, energy storage thrown out by Congress

[voyager]

In the massive federal spending package that Congress passed this week, just in time to head off a government shutdown, lawmakers showed they are in no hurry for the clean energy future. They strategically slashed most of the tax credit extenders that analysts saw as this Congress' best opportunity to accelerate renewable energy and cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. All that remained of the package at the end of months-long negotiation and debate were measures that will be politically useful to Republicans—most notably, biofuel subsidies.

Clean Energy Loses Out in Congress’s Last-Minute Budget Deal

 

[Evoforce]

Shameful...

 

[Watts_Up]

Clean Energy Loses Out in Congress’s Last-Minute Budget Deal

Shameful...

Just one example...

The U.S. Has a Fleet of 300 Electric Buses. China Has 421,000​

 

[Big Dog]

to be fair, technically, the tax breaks were just not extended. They original laws have always been in phase-out mode. The solar credit for example, drops to 26% in 2020 (from 30%).

I get that many were hoping Congress would extend some breaks, but that was just wishful thinking; never had a chance.

btw: missing from the article was one break that was extended, and that is the home charger credit, which was retroactively approved back to 2017. Those of us who installed a charger for new model 3's in 2018 can amend our returns to claim the credit.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Democrats say they tried, but were foiled by the evil Republicans.
Republicans says they stopped the evil Democrats from their socialist picking of winners and losers.
Everyone's a winner.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

I think you'll find centralized govt less and less an ally as renewables and EVs decentralize the power structure of energy. The Sun has no lobbyists.