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Steven Chu

“If you look at the history of the United States, there are mature technologies and there aretechnologies that need more help,” [Secretary of Energy Steven] Chu said, adding that oil and natural gas are “mature technologies” and solar needs additional research and development.

Of course, in this context what Secretary Chu means by “mature” is: an energy source able to stand on its own in open competition. Solar and other forms of energy that are dependent on government support are immature in the sense that they would not pass the market test.

Secretary Chu’s terminology is misleading in another respect: It’s not as if scientists dreamed up the idea of harnessing the sun’s energy last summer. No, solar, wind, and other “immature” technologies have been on the government dole for decades. They are not infant industries, but instead are 35-year-olds with no job who still live with their parents.

In order to truly level the playing field and allow entrepreneurs to serve consumers with the best and cheapest energy options, the federal government doesn’t need to give handouts to all technologies. Instead, the government needs to stop trying to steer the energy sector altogether. By all means, cut funding for fossil fuel sources, but cut funding for their competitors as well.

Those who oppose subsidies for “alternative” energies don’t have a vendetta against renewables, nor do they harbor a grudge against the climate. The simple fact is that fossil fuels are currently the most efficient means of delivering energy to American consumers and businesses in a convenient form, in most applications. The government doesn’t need to ratify this fact; it needs to stand back and let market forces decide which technologies are viable, and which are truly immature and therefore should not yet be deployed.