In the interests of information-sharing, we just wanted to alert you to the National Renewable Energy Lab’s (NREL) newly released report on feed in tariffs. It will make your knees weak if you’re a policy wonk or an energy lawyer–I mean heck, it’s entitled “Renewable Energy Prices in State-Level Feed-in Tariffs: Federal Law Constraints and Possible Solutions”–but it includes an overview for the FiT neophyte, as well. Don’t read the whole thing, unless you’re really, really having trouble sleeping, but do check out some basic definitions and context for the FiT programs developing across the country.

The feed in tariff is a production-based approach to solar energy incentives that until recently has been almost the exclusive property of European solar markets. But FiTs are gaining traction on home soil: California, Hawaii, Florida (just Gainesville–but still), and other American markets are dipping in. If you’re following solar power growth in the United States, the inner workings of a FiT is no longer optional.

Access the full report here as a PDF on NREL’s website.