There is still considerable debate about “renewable energy” and the subsidies necessary to make it even marginally competitive. In fact, the wind and solar energy industries are toys that are funded by the left in their delusional fixation on global warming. Spain learned just how expensive these subsidies can be but was the darling of the progressive left for a while.
UPDATE: There is now squabbling in the administration over these subsidies with General Electric, a big corporate welfare recipient, threatening to “go to the private market for funds.” Well, if they could do that, why are taxpayers paying for this ?
Spain has been at the forefront of producing clean energy, especially wind energy. By producing 11.5% of its overall energy through wind turbines Spain has become the 3rd largest producer of wind energy after Germany (2nd) and US (1st). Whereas many European countries like the UK are dragging their feet around the figure of 7300 MW, Spain has an ambitious target of achieving 20,000 MW by 2010.
Unfortunately, the bill came due.
Only two years ago, Spanish solar energy companies feasting on generous government subsidies expanded at a feverish pace, investing €18 billion (then worth roughly $28 billion) to blanket rooftops and fields with photovoltaic panels. They briefly turned the country into the top solar market in the world.
Spain’s subsidies for solar were four to six times higher than those for wind. Prices charged for solar power were 12 times higher than those for fossil fuel electricity. Germany and Spain received about 75 percent of the world’s photovoltaic panel installations that year.
Suddenly facing a deep recession, a collapsing housing market and a ballooning budget deficit, the Spanish government cut the rate paid for photovoltaic power by about 29 percent last year and put a limit on new solar installations at 500 megawatts per year. It is now considering additional tariff cuts that may reach as high as 40 percent and may even be applied retroactively, according to local newspaper reports.
The real future of power generation is coal. This is the future.
Fortunately, the US has the largest coal reserves in the world. There are cleaner ways to use coal for power. That is the way we will provide power for the future. It will be a struggle because the left is obsessed with the religion of global warming.
Eventually we will probably use nuclear power to generate electricity and the use of electricity for transportation will probably be part of the future. Maybe we (You. I won’t be around) will drive cars that draw power from embedded strips in the pavement. I am convinced that coal and nuclear is the future. Wind and solar have serious limitations that will always limit their use to small geographic areas. Arizona and California may be able to provide a lot of power from solar. I looked into it when I lived in Orange County. But for the needs of industry and the general population, the need will be filled by coal and nuclear.
Agreed. Nuclear is the future.
North America has 1000 years of coal at present levels of usage.