Political Turmoil for Renewables in Australia and Spain

Two countries with some of the richest renewable energy resources in the world – Australia and Spain – are also two of the most hostile to the industry’s growth. Last week, Australia abruptly changed its national policies for renewables, upsetting project development plans. And in June, Spain proposed yet another tax on storage systems to discourage self-consumption. In this episode, we’ll talk about the turmoil and Australia and Spain, and look at the consequences for politicians and the renewable energy industry. We’ll finish up by debunking a new report from the Taxpayer’s Protection Alliance claiming that the solar industry is causing a bubble similar to the housing bubble that caused the 2008 financial crisis. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.