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Austerity Green: EU Fatigue Towards Renewables (excepting the UK)

By Matthew Sinclair -- July 7, 2010

“Many European countries are waking up to the disaster of extravagant subsidies to renewable energy.  But Britain isn’t.  The lesson for Americans is simply that throwing money at renewable energy is a huge economic mistake, but politicians can keep the racket going regardless.  It will take robust opposition to stop the United States repeating Europe’s mistakes.”

Renewable energy has proved an expensive and unreliable source of energy everywhere it has been tried on a significant scale. And now there is a big divide among the major European economies that have enthusiastically adopted wind, solar and the other renewables.

While the UK ploughs ahead by throwing good money after bad, Italy, Spain and Germany are cutting back on their taxpayer/ratepayer-funded generosity toward politically correct energies. France, meanwhile, with its abundant nuclear power, has smartly stayed out of the game.…