Fossil Fuels Get 12x More Subsidies Than Renewable Energy

In a shocking revelation, a Bloomberg report uncovered that fossil fuels get 12 times more subsidies than renewable energy globally.  It’s pretty disturbing, right?  As a solar installer, I’m exposed to a lot of opinions on solar power and on the renewable industry as a whole.  There are many people out there who think that solar incentives are careless, unethical, and just plain foolish.  In their opinion, why should we prop up an industry that has to rely on subsidies to compete when we have affordable fuel sources like oil, gas, and coal?  Maybe their opinions may change when they find out that these “affordable fuel sources” require 12 times the subsidies to get to that price.

In 2008, Bloomberg identified that fossil fuels received $557 billion in subsidies worldwide compared to between $43 and $46 billion for renewables.  I think the world would be a much different place, both politically and socially, if all the incentives from fossil fuels were shifted to renewable forms of energy, like wind and solar power.

Although each country has to do its part toward the collective goal, it’s time that we turn the tide toward renewable energy in the United States.  We have an addiction to fossil fuels that threatens our national and economic security. Within our country, we have let more than $1 billion flow to foreign countries to finance our oil needs.  This is money that sometimes goes to enemies who pose a threat to our country. There has been a lot of talk about making the commitment towards sustainable energy and not enough action—a commitment that will make us self-sustaining and stronger as a nation.  We can each do our part by incorporating more energy efficient practices into daily life and using more renewable energy like solar and wind.  To learn more if solar power will work for you, you can sign up for a free solar evaluation with us anywhere in Massachusetts or Connecticut.