Industry Seeks to Broaden Definition of “Renewable”

With the advent of renewable energy quotas as well as the authorization of federal tax breaks for renewable projects, more and more industries are vying to be called “renewable”—even those that might not fit the conventional understanding of that definition, such as the nuclear industry.

According to the New York Times, in addition to the tax incentives, being designated as renewable could entitle an industry to renewable energy credits—which could become valuable in their own right if a national renewable power standard is introduced.

Utilities, too, could benefit from more inclusive definitions. For example, existing nuclear projects could then be counted toward renewable energy requirements without additional capital investments in wind or solar facilities.

Some states have been more flexible than others in defining “renewable” and its cousin, “alternative.” The coal-rich state of Pennsylvania’s definition includes waste coal and coal-bed methane. Ohio, too, will permit about half of its “renewable” target to come from advanced coal sources. And many states have deemed electricity generated from garbage incineration to be renewable.

Some environmentalists believe that processes that generate greenhouse gases—even when they burn products that can technically be replenished, like garbage—should not qualify for designation as renewable.

Additionally they say, designating a technology like hydropower as renewable would cost the federal government additional money, over what it currently spends subsidizing hydropower, while doing little to promote investment in new sources of green energy.

Given the significant regional differences, defining renewable energy on a national level will be a process of political give-and-take. So far, waste-to-energy technologies have managed to get themselves included in the House climate bill. Nuclear energy didn’t make it in, though, and advanced coal has so far been shut out in the Senate.

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