| Germany and the United States, although similar in their industrialization and political structures, reveal marked differences in their national energy policies. Variability in energy policies and the resulting renewable energy deployment in each country have been attributed to political decision-making, international energy regimes and legislative frameworks, in addition to economic mechanisms. This research comes to the conclusion that although a variety of factors lead to coherent renewable energy policy at the federal level, the lobbying efforts of fossil fuel industries serve to depress the ability, in the United States, for sustainable and renewable energy movements to gain headway. As this research shows, the strength of a lobby group or associations can influence policy measures by framing the political landscape, influencing the content of legislation, and achieving political alignment to prime a state for renewable energy policy or not depending on what interests are represented. |
