Troll_Whisperer said:
Exactly what I was thinking... Yeah, it costs money, what a surprise. But isn't it better in the long run? It's not that bad. In Spain wind power is the no1 energy source atm: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/03/wind-becomes-spains-biggest-energy-source I don't think Spain spent THAT much money on it, right? 5 of the 17 regions of Spain get over half of their energy from renewable sources and a couple of them are close to 100% now. This is very feasible, I don't get why money is such a big issue. Also, what you spend on building the thing you save on importing fuel in the long run anyway. |
Spain spent astronomical amounts of money on their renewable energy. Solar PV cost per KWH is 3x nearly every other energy source. Wind is still more expensive as other non-renewable energy sources.
Is it better in the long run? I question that. You still have to mine rare earths to build the plants, make the metals, and replace them every few years when they die. In the end, your hurting the economy significantly for these energy sources, because of the tax monies that are being taken away from the people or other projects, and put into subsidies to fund these projects.
Spain is being forced to cut their PV energy subsidies, as they have spent gargantuan amounts of money on them with very little return. It is costing them billions of Euros per year to subsidise renewables, hurting their already-collapsing economy.
According to estimates, Spain has spent over $15 billion on energy subsidies over the past 5 years (http://ianscityscope.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/heavy-subsidies-sustain-spains-wind-power/). That is, on average, 10% of their entire government budget just for renewables to run in their country. That model is unsustainable. Say what you want about the environment - if your country is going to collapse, I think that it may be in your best benefit to abandon subsidizing 'green' energies in favor of survival.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
