Eulogizing Renewable Energy Policy

Across the globe, renewable energy policy is changing. The change is coming so quickly that it appears the world is now on the cusp of a new future. The renewable energy policy of the past is on its way out; a new and different policy is taking its place. That new policy has different end goals, implementing mechanisms, and strategies than its predecessors. This is not just policy evolution but a policy revolution. The labels of the past soon no longer will apply because they are being merged and blurred — and replaced. Using the U.S. electricity sector as its primary lens, this paper traces the historical arc of renewable energy policy, identifies four factors driving the ongoing policy revolution, and then explores likely paths forward — and lessons learned — for renewables policy. In so doing, the paper provides an important overview of both the past and future of renewable energy policy