Jackie Gowdy ’11 Explores Economics and Tax Incentives for Renewable Energies

She writes about her research under the guidance of David Veshosky, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering

Jackie Gowdy ’11 (Newington, Conn.), a double major in engineering studies and international affairs, is working with David Veshosky, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, on an EXCEL research project looking at the tax incentives for implementing renewable energies. Gowdy, who also is a member of the College’s Division I swimming and diving team, is focusing her work on the upcoming Sustainable Energy Conference and solar panels the College is installing as part of the conference, and the work Lafayette students and faculty have done to help the residents of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, La., devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, to rebuild as the first carbon-neutral community in the country.

My summer research project is designed to work in conjunction with the Sustainable Energy Conference (SEC) that will be held at Lafayette later this month. Professor Veshosky has been my mentor, providing me with direction and advice as I began down this complicated path.

In preparation for the conference, I started my research by gaining a general understanding of renewable energies, such as hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, and wind. This knowledge will significantly increase what I take away from the SEC, which will focus on the latter two energies. After the conference, the school will install a photovoltaic solar panel at Metzgar Fields, which will work to provide power for the newly planted community gardens and composting project.

While beginning to form a general understanding of these renewable energies and their functions, I have begun to delve into the more complex and intertwined arenas, specifically the tax incentives for implementing renewable energies and the economic markets that revolve around these credits.

The goal of this research, along with my education and a deeper understanding, is to develop a model that incorporates initial and implementation costs, economic profits, and environmental benefits. Professor Veshosky also would like to form a concise chart that will delineate the tax credits at the federal, state, and local levels, specifically focusing on Easton and the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, La. We are focusing on the former due to the coming solar installation, and the latter because of the College’s partnership with the residents of the area.

The Lower Ninth Ward was one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. The residents have made a pledge to attempt to rebuild the area without increasing their carbon footprint. This effort is exemplary, but quite costly, and the tax credits or rebates that exist may not be applicable since most of these families are too poor to pay taxes.

Thus, the comprehensive chart I plan to develop with Professor Veshosky will provide an overall picture of what benefits exist for this community and hopefully direct him to the most economically and ecologically sound path.

This amazing research has truly opened my eyes to the multitude of opportunities open to me to pursue as I earn my degree in engineering studies and international affairs. Through my research, I have been able to further my education in renewable energies, an area that has always been extremely interesting to me, and I have been pushed in all realms of study.

I have already discussed continuing my research in the coming semester and potentially turning it into a thesis topic as I approach my senior year. Hopefully, by that time, I will be able to delve into the international arena and analyze the methods that other nations use to regulate renewable energies. By comparing the United States’ organization to that of the rest of the world, the best features of each can be synthesized.