Germany's €300 Billion Green Energy Disaster

Renewable Energy. As seen from the road south of Bryn Llwyd. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Photovoltaics are threatening to become the costliest mistake in the history of German energy policy. A new study by Georg Erdmann, professor of energy systems at Berlin's Technical University, reveals that subsidies for renewable energy, including an expansion of the power grid, will saddle energy consumers with costs well over €300 billion ($377 billion). The study is all the more interesting because Erdmann himself is a member of a panel of experts the German government appointed a few months ago to monitor Germany's transition to renewable energy. --Alexander Neubacher and Catalina Schröder, Spiegel Online, 5 July 2012

A new economic impact study on California's Global Warming Solutions Act finds that the average California family will end up paying an additional $2,500 annually by 2020. In addition, the state is expected to lose an additional 262,000 jobs, 5.6 percent of the gross state product, and a whopping $7.4 billion through decreased annual state and local tax revenues as a result. --IVN News, 4 July 2012

Europe is burning coal at the fastest pace since 2006, as surging imports from U.S. helped cut prices 26 percent in a year. Demand for coal grew 3.3 percent last year in Europe while sales of less- polluting natural gas fell 2.1 percent. Gas-fired plants need about half the carbon permits of coal burners. Even so, the 17 percent drop in permit prices to about 8 euros a ton has reduced their competitive advantage. Coal will continue to remain on the money in Europe because it’s more competitive to burn than gas. More and more of the coal to Europe will come from the U.S. where just the opposite is happening.--Rakteem Katakey, Rajesh Kumar Singh and Rachel Morison, Bloomberg, 4 July 2012

The last 18 months have produced three critical energy facts that challenge environmentalists to rethink and demonstrate why banning shale gas is environmental folly. --John Hanger, 3 July 2012

Wiltshire County Council has voted through controversial new proposals, which if enforced would effectively ban new wind farms from the county.The vote represents the second time in the past month that a county council has approved tough new planning restrictions for wind farms, after Lincolnshire County Council backed planning guidance that recommends all wind farms within six miles of a village comprising more than 10 homes should be blocked. --James Murray, BusinessGreeen, 3 July 2012