Germans turn on CA-style green energy push

by Chris Reed | May 11, 2014 6:15 am

California may think of itself as the epicenter of the green religion, but even more extreme environmentalism has been playing out in Europe. In Germany, the result is increasingly sharp disillusionment. The Washington Times has the details[1]:

“[Germany moved] to boost renewable energy sources, almost 15 years ago and concedes now that it made a serious mistake. At the turn of the millennium, the German government pointed with pride as it implemented an ‘energy transformation’ plan that would speed the nation’s conversion to politically correct energy sources. The costs of wind and solar were astronomical, since the sun sets in the evening and the wind, unlike a politician, doesn’t always blow. Nevertheless, the government deemed the cause worthy of great subsidy.

“Conventional energy sources were heavily taxed, and $33 billion in wealth was transferred from the consumers of affordable energy sources to the owners of wind and solar projects in the past year.

“Private residencies last year paid $9.6 billion in additional fees to subsidize renewables. Electricity prices are three times higher in Germany than in the United States. More than 800,000 Germans have had their electricity cut off because they couldn’t pay the light bill.

“Germany’s industrial sector, a quarter of the economy, paid $10 billion in taxes last year to finance green energy. The Federation of German Industries is worried that manufacturers will lose a competitive edge internationally as a result.”

Fracking has hidden impact of costly green policies

As Cal Watchdog’s Wayne Lusvardi has pointed out[2] in dozens of articles in recent years, something similar is unfolding in California. Government edicts are forcing a shift to much costlier sources of power, some of which aren’t even particularly clean. But these edicts are not being accompanied by honesty about the long-term impacts on consumers.

What’s the main reason California consumers haven’t been squawking over a forced shift to costlier power in recent years? A utility executive told me last year that a key factor was cheap and plentiful natural gas — because of fracking — keeping overall energy costs in check.

How perverse is that? The green devil of fracking is making the green mania less painful in California.

But eventually, we’ll have a German-style epiphany and realize that alternative energy simply costs way more than the sort we’re used to using. Eventually as in 2020. More from the Washington Times:

“California has implemented a state cap-and-trade scheme to cool the planet, and drivers are feeling the result at the pump. Californians pay the nation’s highest gasoline prices, an average of 55 cents more for every gallon … .

“The Boston Consulting Group found that after factoring in the state’s low carbon-dioxide fuel standard, gasoline prices could jump an additional $1.83 per gallon by 2020.”

$6-a-gallon gas? We’ll be in full German regret mode then.

Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2014/05/11/germans-turn-on-ca-style-green-energy-push/

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