A few days after the Energy Bill has been passed in the USA, now is a better time to reflect on what it means for the alternative energy industry.

Bioethanol - production target set of 7.5 billion gallons by 2012, up from 4.5 billion today and tax incentives for the creation of ethanol plants.

Fuel Cells - USD 2.0bn over five years for fuel cell research and development and USD 1.3bn for demonstration projects. There are tax incentives for customers who buy fuel cells for either vehicles or buildings and USD 450m to help state and federal governments buy fuel cells.

Wind - extension of the Production Tax Credit of 1.9 cents until 2007.

Solar - The first ever residential tax credit for solar energy in the past two decades.

So ignore all the partisan lobbyists claiming the Energy Bill only caters to big oil, does nothing for renewables etc. - there's really quite a lot here to encourage the take up of alternative energy.