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Clean Technology on the Brink
New York Times ^ | April 18, 2012 | By JOHN M. BRODER

Posted on 04/18/2012 2:00:41 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Clean energy technology has grown robustly and come down in price in recent years, driven by hefty government stimulus spending, expectations of future regulation and substantial private investment. But that technology is going to fall off a cliff unless government steps in quickly to revitalize the solar, wind, nuclear, battery and clean vehicle sectors with new spending and federal policy, according to a new study from three research groups.

The study notes that the tens of billions of dollars from President Obama’s stimulus program are drying up, even as tax breaks that have supported wind and solar power generation are expiring. The result is an anticipated 75 percent decline in federal clean technology spending by 2014 from a peak of $44.3 billion in 2009.

The authors recommend renewing some of the tax incentives and boosting federal spending, at least until those industries can compete on their own.

(Excerpt) Read more at green.blogs.nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: climategate; failure; green; hoax; obamanomics; porkulus; solyndra
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The definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting a different outcome. Or simply, "obama".
1 posted on 04/18/2012 2:00:56 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

How in the world would “expectations of future regulation” bring down the price? If anything it would raise prices since people will have fewer choices.


2 posted on 04/18/2012 2:05:08 PM PDT by DManA
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
...and come down in price in recent years

Well the price of factories that make Green Energy generating equipment has sure come down. Most of them have had their capital equipment sold off and their raw materials hauled off in dumpsters.

The buildings they used to occupy are looking for tenants.

3 posted on 04/18/2012 2:05:48 PM PDT by Steely Tom (If the Constitution can be a living document, I guess a corporation can be a person.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

What a crock of crap.....
According to Broder “clean energy” is the greatest thing ever the answer to all problems and the path to a bright future.
BUT ONLY WITH MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF TAX PAYER DOLLARS.......
These people are not even funny anymore, just dangerous..


4 posted on 04/18/2012 2:13:45 PM PDT by SECURE AMERICA (Where can I sign up for the New American Revolution and the Crusades 2012?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Right....And we all have a new source of "government mandated" mercury in our house.......after disposing of the extremely dangerous "mercury thermometers" which we all had in our medicine cabinets.

Time to tell the government to ............

5 posted on 04/18/2012 2:15:17 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: DManA

The expectation was that government was going to ‘regulate’ their market competition, giving them an additional advantage, and raising their competitors’ prices.


6 posted on 04/18/2012 2:16:22 PM PDT by LucianOfSamasota (Tanstaafl - its not just for breakfast anymore...)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-734870551.html


7 posted on 04/18/2012 2:16:30 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: LucianOfSamasota

Right. So their assertion that expectations of future regulation is going to bring down the price is preposterous.


8 posted on 04/18/2012 2:23:31 PM PDT by DManA
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

If we’re going to ‘invest’ massive, perpetual taxpayer subsidies into some pie-in-the-sky revolutionary technology, let’s work on something really cool like ‘warp drive’ or ‘time travel’.

(Of course they’re not plausible - but that hasn’t been a consideration for green energy either!)


9 posted on 04/18/2012 2:25:18 PM PDT by LucianOfSamasota (Tanstaafl - its not just for breakfast anymore...)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

What DO they smoke over at the NYT?!!!


10 posted on 04/18/2012 2:25:25 PM PDT by mo (If you understand, no explanation is needed. If you don't understand, no explanation is possible.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“Clean” energy is unsustainable.


11 posted on 04/18/2012 2:28:17 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (For every black person murdered by a white, thirty-nine white people are murdered by blacks.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
But that technology is going to fall off a cliff unless government steps in quickly to revitalize the solar, wind, nuclear, battery and clean vehicle sectors with new spending and federal policy

Uh, much of it's been at the bottom of the cliff for some time now. Also, nuclear is screwed because the Japanese totally destroyed the public's faith in nukes.

12 posted on 04/18/2012 2:29:26 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

If it’s a sound idea, it doesn’t need taxpayer dollars.


13 posted on 04/18/2012 2:30:15 PM PDT by lurk
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Clean energy technology has grown robustly and come down in price in recent years, driven by hefty government stimulus spending, expectations of future regulation and substantial private investment. But that technology is going to fall off a cliff unless government steps in quickly ...

What a pile of dung.
"Green Energy" is doing wonderfully because of the brilliance of Government spending (...and regulations to drive Carbon based energies out of business...) BUT government (the taxpayers) Must pay more...

Scam Artists down on the street corners have more pride than to pitch this crap. If 'Green Energy' can't support itself - get it off life-support... And stop throwing monkey wrenches in our Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas Industries - you thieves in the Government...

14 posted on 04/18/2012 2:30:55 PM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: DManA

Correct!

‘expectations of future regulation’ was a driver for ‘growing robustly’, not ‘come down in price’. People (Dem’s) invested believing that when fossil fuels were made cost prohibitive through carbon taxes, etc., the alternative energy companies would clean up. Mostly they’re just PO’d now ‘cause they threw their money down a manure shoot since cap and trade isn’t likely to pan out. That’s why we call it risk, right? ;)

As far as price coming down, that’s a moral victory at this point. I don’t think coal or natural gas are feeling price competition from ANY green energy.


15 posted on 04/18/2012 2:36:37 PM PDT by LucianOfSamasota (Tanstaafl - its not just for breakfast anymore...)
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To: DManA

Not preposterous from their POV.

My electricity cost is about .12 kwh. Natural gas, probably.

If the government subsidized solar power at .75, then they might be able to sell it to me at .12.

Of course, total cost is still .87, but if you squint your eyes and look at it sideways it just became competitive with gas.


16 posted on 04/18/2012 2:42:56 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: LucianOfSamasota

Can’t do that.

People would leave..............


17 posted on 04/18/2012 2:50:14 PM PDT by Red Badger (Think logically. Act normally.................)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

There’s nothing the Gubment can’t fix by spending more taxpayer money that they, and the taxpayers, don’t have.

Insanity indeed.


18 posted on 04/18/2012 2:50:56 PM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
The authors recommend renewing some of the tax incentives and boosting federal spending, at least until those industries can compete on their own.

Yeah. And I can ride my bike as fast as Lance Armstrong, or at least I'll be able to eventually if they just keep sending me money.

19 posted on 04/18/2012 2:54:32 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: El Cid
If 'Green Energy' can't support itself - get it off life-support... And stop throwing monkey wrenches in our Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas

An apt formula for all of the Federal Government.

20 posted on 04/18/2012 2:55:59 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator (Article 58)
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