Federal tax effects on the financial attractiveness of renewable versus conventional power plants

Abstract In this paper, we examine the effects of federal tax laws on the financial attractiveness of seven renewable and four conventional electric power generating technologies adopted by investor owned utilities (IOUs) and non-utility electricity generators (NUGs). The results show that federal income tax laws applicable to renewable generating technologies generally provide very attractive financial incentives for the adoption of these technologies by IOUs and NUGs. If an IOU or NUG is subject to the alternative minimum tax, however, it may not be able to take full advantage of these financial incentives.