This caught my eye:
Is New Hampshire solar racing toward a brick wall?
and this snippet at that post, once again, proves the title.
The growth is being driven by the falling cost of solar hardware, the increased availability of financing for residential and utility-scale solar, and the urgency of buyers and sellers to get installations completed before the 30% federal investment tax credit sunsets at the end of 2016.
Look, I lived and bought stuff the last time there was the stampede for alternative energy “supports” back in the 80s. Went whole hog and purchased solar hot air space heating (thermosiphoning air panels) and solar hot water (er, it was not amusing to see the glycol starting to freeze up at temps at -20 degrees F one morning before it ran into the heat exchange water tank). When the state and federal tax subsidies ran out, so did the companies. The market crashed and I was left with 5 digit investments that were worthless because there was no one around to service the units that decided to play hookey. The entire marketplace just went away.
And yet, there is that cognitive dissonance again: “increased availability of financing for residential and utility-scale solar” contrasting “before the 30% federal investment tax credit sunsets “. If the former is working, there’s a true sustaining market. If the market exists ONLY because of tax law, well…
…it should die. For those that are mad over that, well, ante up your own money and stick it into the marketplace. Don’t demand mine.
Stand on the merits of your product and services. If you have to rely on a cozy relationship with government, to be a Crony Capitalism crackhead, then die. Hitching your hopes and dreams on laws that come and go, well, play risky m’friend.
But don’t come to me asking for yet another bailout, as no one is bailing me out.
