Recommendation It is recommended to eliminate solar subsidy programs and find an alternative method of sustainable energy, such as batteries. Background Solar energy subsidies were introduced in the United States with the development of solar energy systems in 1963 as a response to threats of possible war arising from increasing nuclear development resulting from space exploration (History of Solar Energy in California, 2014 ). This event was one of the first significant causes that led Americans to move away from oil and towards renewable energy. In the 1970s, growing interest in promoting alternative fuel energy continued when Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) placed an embargo on oil exports to the United States (History of Solar Energy, 2014). In reaction to the crisis, Congress passed the Energy Tax Act (ETA) in 1978 to encourage homeowners to invest in energy conservation by offering a federal energy tax credit of up to $2,000 for people who had installed such devices in their homes from 1977 to 1986. History of Solar Energy, 2014). That same year, the California Solar Rights Act was passed restricting homeowners associations from installing solar energy systems (U.S. Department of Energy, 2014). Since then, the law has been amended twice in 2003 and 2004, “extending the ban on restrictions to all public entities” and “minimizing aesthetic solar restrictions to those costing less than $2,000 and limiting the review of solar installations solar by building officials only to those items that address specific health and safety requirements under local, state, and federal laws (U.S. Department of Energy, 2014, para. 2). In 1979, encouraged by the passage of ETA's generous tariffs, California influenced the alt... ... middle of paper ...... change affecting people globally. Republicans reject these concerns and support an increase in domestic energy sources based on oil, natural gas, and carbon in order to produce more jobs and economic growth (Weeks, 2011). However, the Obama administration continues to “press for greater federal investments in renewable energy, such as solar and wind, and in emerging technologies such as “clean” coal plants that could capture and bury their greenhouse gas emissions” as its benefits outweigh its negative aspects (Weeks, 2011, p.459).” Since federal tax credits for solar investments began in 2006 and the California Solar Initiative began in 2007, policies and subsidies have been instrumental in California's solar growth (Pfund, 2013). However, the popularity of solar energy in California has led to a significant decline in the amount of money available for reimbursement.