Book Description

Solar technologies are dispersed technologies. Their performance and costs depend heavily on climate, insolation, and type of applications (e.g., residential hot water heating, industrial process heat, remote electricity generation, and water pumping). Accordingly, the type, extent, and timing of government stimulation of solar applications should vary regionally to make most efficient the expenditure of public funds. Given the extensive history of state solar incentives relative to federal actions intended to achieve similar objectives and the inherently different consequences that the same incentives will have in different regions of the country, it is important that federal programs encourage and complement, rather than overwhelm and conflict with, state solar incentives.