Image from Environmental Law Institute
Ecopolitology.org posted this visualization of the relative subsidies received by fossil fuels and renewables in the US over a six-year period. This is a helpful rebuttal to those who think that renewable energy is too highly subsidized.
However, like any visualization, it’s important to understand what has been omitted in the name of simplicity. In this case, nuclear seems to be ignored, and the absolute dollar amount comparisons don’t account for the differences in scale of production. A graphical comparison of the subsidies per kWh (or BTU) would be helpful, but even that might be misleading as subsidies and costs have changed significantly during the 2002-2008 time period.
