Full Title: Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs
Author(s): Lynn J. Cunningham, Rachel J. Eck
Publisher(s): Congressional Research Service
Publication Date: June 24, 2021
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Description (excerpt):
Energy is crucial to operating a modern industrial and services economy. Concerns about the availability and cost of energy and about environmental impacts of fossil energy use have led to a wide variety of federal incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency. These incentives aim to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures and to develop and commercialize renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Many of the existing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs have authorizations tracing back to the 1970s. Many programs have been reauthorized and redesigned repeatedly to meet changing economic factors. The programs apply broadly to sectors ranging from industry to academia and from state and local governments to rural communities.
This report outlines current federal programs and provisions providing grants, loans for unemployed, loan guarantees, tax credits, and other direct or indirect incentives for energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy RDD&D. The programs are grouped by administering agency with references to applicable federal agency websites. Incentives are summarized and indexed in the appendixes.