The San Francisco Chronicle

"If private investors say no to you, and green investors like the people at Google or Al Gore say no to you, and you only have Uncle Sam to turn to, what does that tell you about your project?" said Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute libertarian think tank.

Romney favors letting the production tax credit expire this year, even though that position could cost him in states such as Iowa where wind power is growing fast.

He hasn't addressed the investment tax credit for solar projects. But solar executives fear that a conservative Congress or White House could put it on the chopping block. Even if Obama wins re-election, the credit could be in play if the federal government takes up a larger overhaul of corporate taxes.