Margaret Wente writes:
Mr. McGuinty insists that his green energy investments will launch a vast new industry in Ontario, whose products and expertise can then be exported to the world. But the world is losing interest. Besides, green subsidies don’t create jobs – they kill them. In Germany, where the government has invested heavily in renewables, high energy prices are forcing companies to close factories or move abroad. Germany has pumped more than €100-billion into solar subsidies, with disappointing results. Now it has announced that it will phase out support to the industry by 2017 – news that caused solar stocks to plunge around the world. Spain, which is in serious economic trouble, has also decided to stop subsidizing new alternative energy projects.
Right on the money!! Very similar to the nationalization of the asbestos industry in Quebec, and we all know how that played out.
ReplyDeleteSo what's the answer? Shall we just keep relying on non-renewable sources of energy? Perhaps green energy is not a good plan for the immediate future because a lot of trial-and-error scenarios have to take place until mankind 'gets it right' - after all, the science is in its infancy. But eventually we must develop other means than oil and gas to keep us warm at night, and in fifty years from now you will be thankful enlightened governments made efforts to prepare strategies and technologies for the far future.
ReplyDeleteI don't think oil and gas are going to be running out in 50 years. But in general, I would rather see the government just give scientists money for R&D, period, than see them subsidize wave after wave of 'green energy' businesses that no one wants, and heavy handed regulations that don't seem to do any good. Technology change and innovation mostly come from the private sector (occassional govermnments at war come up with a thing or two accidentally).
DeleteOh well, if there have been "disappointing results" in Germany, clearly it has been definitively proven that governments don't pick winners and central planning doesn't work. Flawless argument.
ReplyDeleteLet's abandon investment in green energy.
Might I suggest you remove the word "proof" from this post? Come on, man! "Evidence," perhaps and anecdotal at that.
(Also, Anon, yes, this is exactly the same as asbestos, a proven carcinogen. Solar power = asbestos)
I stand by my choice of words.
ReplyDelete@Johnson, Certainly it is the very same circumstance. Obviously, they knew nothing of the ill effects associated with asbestos at the time. Otherwise, this example would have been downright ridiculous.
ReplyDelete