Oregonians for Renewable Energy Policy: What's a feed-in tariff?

What's a feed-in tariff and why is it so important for development of alternative, renewable energy? Judy Barnes of Oregonians for Renewable Energy Policy (OREP) explains it as "a piggy bank on your roof"--a guaranteed predetermined fixed price for each kilowatt hour of alternative energy you produce for a fixed amount of time, usually 20 years. OREP concentrates on developing solar power in Oregon, confident that by growing the current state feed-in tariff program, they can develop widespread solar capacity in the state. In this video, Judy gives a quick overview of feed-in tariffs and how they've worked. For instance, in Germany, feed-in tariffs have produced not just clean energy but 370,000 jobs, while lowering overall costs for solar power. Ontario's feed-in tariff program is new, but has already created 43,000 jobs, produced 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy, and has put the province on track to close all its coal-fired plants by 2014. Watch to learn more about organizing in Oregon to achieve these same successes.

The video was filmed at the international Moving Planet event in Portland, Oregon, on September 24, and was produced by Jim Lockhart, www.PhilosopherSeed.org. OREP is sponsored by Alliance for Democracy, and works closely with AfD's Portland, OR, chapter.