Title of Dissertation: national renewable energy policy

Figure 28. 
Solar energy employment by sector, 2010-2015. 
Source: The Solar Foundation, National Solar Jobs Census 2015. 
Federal solar policies 
In the 1970s, there was a shift of the U.S. energy policy from oil and gas supply to 
energy conservation and alternative energy sources.
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Two energy crises during the 
1970s, the oil embargo in 1973 and the Iranian Revolution in 1978-1979, have drawn 
policymakers’ attention to the problems of energy markets. These issues include 
dependence on imports, energy shortages, and productivity issues. Moreover, increasing 
awareness of environmental degradation has weakened political support for oil and gas.
In this context, solar energy has received support from the government since the 
1970s. The first major act on solar energy was the Solar Energy Research, Development, 
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Lazzari, Salvatore, 
Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues
, CRS Report for 
Congress, June 10 2008. 
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and Demonstration Act, enacted in 1974. The act said that the production of solar energy 
will help “to eliminate the dependence of the United States upon foreign energy sources 
and promote the national defense.”
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The promotion of solar energy as an alternative 
energy source began in the 1970s to solve the nation’s energy shortage.
In the U.S., solar energy has developed mainly based on two kinds of policy 
measures: a tax policy and research and development programs. A tax policy has been a 
main measure to develop renewable energy; the expenditure for tax policy accounted for 
about 60 percent of the total federal expenditure for renewable energy development 
(Figure 29). Research and development programs have also been a major policy measure. 
Renewable energy is one of the energy resources that the federal government has spent 
the largest amount of its R&D budget on, along with coal and nuclear power.