August 12, 2012
In 2011 alone, Italy’s government spent nearly four billion euros in solar-power subsidies.
A report published in July by scientists from Ruhr-Universität Bochum called Germany’s Solar Cell Promotion: An Unfolding Disaster says that the European Union’s countries have signed an accord which compels them to ensure that 35% of their energy comes from renewable sources by 2020. While Germany has the most solar energy capacity in the world, Italy has now leapt into second place. In 2011, Italy installed 9,000 MW of new solar power capacity”a third of total new capacity in the entire world”but this still only accounts for less than 2% of Italy’s total electricity consumption.
With a capacity of 24,700 MW, Germany remains top of the solar-power league, but Italy with 12,500 is now second. America has a total solar-power capacity of just 4,200 MW and China only 2,900.
The report’s authors conclude that the “real net cost” to German taxpayers of subsidizing German solar power between 2000 and 2011 is 100 billion euros ($122.9 billion).
Solar power would be utterly uncompetitive if it had to fight for survival in the real world. Italy does not have nuclear power stations. Electricity from Italy’s gas power stations costs less than a third of what solar power costs.
My view is that global warming is not happening. Even if it was, it is not mankind’s fault. But if it was, there is precious little that mankind can do about it.
Meanwhile, Europe is witnessing the gravest economic and existential crisis at least since the Great Depression of the 1930s, if not in history. Italy is drowning in debt, yet its government is so brainwashed and browbeaten by the Eco Sect’s rantings that it spends billions on the installation of ugly and useless solar power plants.
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