The experiences of the nations discussed above generally point to the ability of concerted policies to spur the domestic installation of renewable energy capacity. Internationally, it appears that those nations with vigorous deployment strategies are capturing greater shares of the world PV market, with Japan and Germany leading the way in shipments. Examine the successes and failures of other programs. Renewable energy technologies cannot currently compete against fossil energy without government subsidies. A program of financial assistance must remain stable for at least 10 years.
Energy independence is a strong driver for renewables overseas.
With time, the need for subsidies declines.