474
edits
(Created page with "Many countries (and states in the USA) require utilities to buy a specified amount of their electricity from designated “renewable” sources, such as wind and solar but usu...") |
No edit summary |
||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Many countries (and states in the USA) require utilities to buy a specified amount of their electricity from designated “renewable” sources, such as wind and solar but usually excluding existing hydro. This is called a “renewable portfolio standard” (RPS), “renewable electricity standard”, or “renewables obligation”. | Many countries (and states in the USA) require utilities to buy a specified amount of their electricity from designated “renewable” sources, such as wind and solar but usually excluding existing hydro. This is called a “renewable portfolio standard” (RPS), “renewable electricity standard”, or “renewables obligation”. | ||
Such a directive has little regard for cost, practicality, or science but is instead primarily an act of political [[wikipedia:Virtue_signalling|virtue signalling]]. | |||
Or it is a cynical act of crony capitalism: Besides placing burdens on utilities and ratepayers, an RPS serves to create a obligatory market for energy sources that would otherwise find it difficult to compete with more reliable and cheaper sources. Combined with subsidies e.g., [[PTC]], [[Feed-in tariff]] and the extra market for “[[green tags]]”, an RPS guarantees that investors in these “preferred” technologies are well provided for. | |||
''See also:'' | ''See also:'' |