An editorial from The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The recent experiences of the European Union provide a cautionary tale about the move to renewable energy sources.
Over the past 10 years, member nations have implemented aggressive programs to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050. Several countries such as Germany are phasing out natural gas, as well as coal.
The result has been skyrocketing prices for electricity, according to a new report from the Manhattan Institute. Between 2005 and 2014, residential costs for electricity have increased 78 percent in Germany, 111 percent in Spain and 133 percent in the United Kingdom.
On average for the European Union as a whole, the increase has been about 63 percent.
It is important to note that those prices already were higher than in the United States, where the price of electricity has increased about 32 percent over the same period of time…
