Using a policy called a
"Feed-in Tariff" or FiT, the Germans have been able to get massive investment, research and development in renewable energy. This is using the novel idea that if you provide a price that makes a certain technology economic to invest in, you'll get more of that development and that there will be an add-on incentive to increase profits beyond the mundane by trying to optimize the implementation of that technology. Tie those payments to technologies manufactured in your political region and you get an added economic boom.
Closer to home, Minnesota is taking a legislative look at this approach. Ontario has already taken the leap in faith [
"Ontario Feed-in Tariffs Could Cascade Across Nation"].
New Study Proposes Powerful Strategy to Expand Renewable Energy and Boost Local Economies - NewRules.org - 17 Jan 08
"Several European countries and the Canadian province of Ontario have recently adopted feed-in tariffs, a mandated, long-term premium price for renewable energy paid by the local utility company to renewable energy producers. A new study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) ["Minnesota Feed-In Tariff Could Lower Cost, Boost Renewables and Expand Local Ownership"] shows how feed-in tariffs could turbocharge Minnesota’s renewable electricity standard, reduce costs, and spread the economic benefits across the state."
"Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariffs (REFITs) level the playing field by scaling renewable prices by the project size and the available resource (e.g. wind speed). The adjustable price supports small-scale projects while growing renewables on a large scale."