Renewable Energy Policies: A Brief Review of the Latest U.S. and E.U. Policies

The U.S. Government and the European Union have developed policies to promote microgeneration and smart grid initiatives. Many projects and significant developments have been accomplished, although the momentum has just begun. To accelerate the implementation and to include the private sector, the U.S. states and the E.U. countries have developed their policies to improve their share of green and economic energy production. The main policies have guaranteed longterm profits for the private sector and tax credits for individuals to participate. Although incredible, these policies need to be constantly compared and modified to keep the green energy progress on track. Liquidation of the government-supported renewable energy projects and consequences for the expected sustained growth of this sector show that the government subsidies have not generated enough incentives for the private sector to decrease the cost of renewable energy manufacturing and research and development. The timely and rightful intervention of government must create a strong private sector to achieve the steady momentum of growth in technical skills and manufacturing infrastructures. This article provided a brief review of the latest relevant ideas that central and local governments have developed with the hope of creating more unified and stronger policies.