WASHINGTON — Congress preserved much of the status quo for renewable energy in the far-reaching tax revamp it approved last month, retaining prized credits for stalwarts like wind turbines, solar power and electric vehicles.

But the ho-hum result belies the still-simmering debate in Washington over those alternative energy forms.

Wind and solar had to survive a House effort to scale back tax incentives that the industry credits for spurring billions of dollars in development in Texas alone. Other technologies, such as geothermal heat pumps, were once again denied access to the same type of tax boosters.

And even beyond the tax world, ongoing divides over grid resiliency, trade and other matters ensure a robust energy debate in the coming months.

"It just seems like there is a lot of uncertainty in the market," said Joshua Rhodes, a research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin's Energy Institute.

That unsettled dynamic among renewables could also hint at what's coming more broadly in the tax world, now that the GOP has muscled through its sweeping tax overhaul.

The $1.5 trillion legislation is full of measures that expire over time, including massive sections like all of the provisions covering the individual side of the code. And any entity that's already been subject to what are known as "extenders" can offer cautionary tales.

Take those geothermal heat pump makers and installers, which have taken hold in Texas.

The industry had long been told the best shot at winning the restoration of a key tax credit — one axed over a year ago, possibly by mistake — was through an overarching tax revamp. That didn't happen. So now they are again banking on a bill to extend it and other orphaned tax measures.

In short, nothing is easy.

"It's obviously disappointing," said Doug Dougherty, president of Geothermal Exchange Organization, an industry trade group.

The marquee energy element of the GOP's tax revamp was the decision to open up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

And broader parts of the overhaul will likely provide the energy industry, like everyone else, the biggest boost. Chief among them: Lower tax rates, whether it's the new 21 percent corporate rate or a new break for pass-through businesses that pay taxes on their owners' personal returns.

"The reduction in tax rate was 80 percent of what was meaningful in that tax bill," said Eric Padilla, a board member for the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Alliance.

What the tax bill didn't do

But the legislation also gained attention for what it didn't do in the renewable energy sector.

Turbines are spread across a wind farm in Colorado City in West Texas. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

The House GOP, as it did in other parts of the tax debate, had sought expansive changes. The approach would've scaled back boosts for wind and solar power, nodding at a conservative critique that the government shouldn't play favorites.

"The government's use of the tax code to pick winners and losers has many harmful economic effects on American families and businesses," experts at the conservative Heritage Foundation wrote in a 2016 report.

But the Senate GOP, as it did in other parts of the tax debate, countered successfully with a desire to leave things alone. And the lack of change present in the final bill means that the wind and solar tax credits will instead continue on an agreed-upon phase-out over the next few years.

"If it had gone through, it would've had a pretty significant impact on the amount of wind and solar that would've been built," said Rhodes, the UT-Austin expert.

Some areas left out

The inaction, however, meant that some other technologies were left out.

The House plan, for instance, would've extended tax credits for nuclear power, fuel cells and geothermal heat pumps — among others. Now backers of those perks must wait to see if lawmakers move this month on a separate bill to restore or expand those incentives.

Phil Schoen, owner of Oklahoma-based Geo-Enterprises, said the continued loss of the tax credit is "disruptive."

"I wouldn't say it would cause us to change directions," said Schoen, who's worked on geothermal projects in Texas and beyond. "But it would impact our sales."

Going forward, the renewable industry is more broadly eyeing the impact of an obscure part of the tax bill that was designed to stop multinational companies from moving profits overseas.

The provision could have unintended pitfalls for the financing of wind and solar projects, since those deals often involve the sale of tax credits to investors. And even after lawmakers included a change to shield against the worst side effects, experts said worries remain.

"It's near-term relief, long-term uncertainty," said Liam Donovan, a tax lobbyist at Bracewell LLP.