Feed In Tariffs: The Sexy Energy Policy with the Not-So-Sexy Name

by Shannon, posted on July 12th, 2010.

An international gathering of Feed in Tariff conference participants struggle to come up with a catchier name for the incentive that's already been wildly successful in Europe

At a surprisingly spicy conference on Feed In Tariffs (FiT) in San Francisco today, keynote speaker Micheal Brune of the Sierra Club observed that in the United States, the secret to implementing something similar to Germany’s wildly popular Feed in Tariff program might be to come up with a punchier name. We’re not so sure. Germany is living proof that you don’t have to call it “iGrid” for homeowners to understand the basic gist: that utility companies have to pay you cold hard cash indefinitely if for any excess solar or other clean energy you generate. Behold: the win-win policy innovation known as a Feed In Tariff.