Americans should learn from Europe’s misguided energy strategy and overreliance on wind and solar power, or else many parts of the country will face prolonged power outages.
Europe’s environmental consciousness is not paying off for European families, who are facing shocking energy blackouts this winter as part of a dangerous green energy crisis. European green energy fiasco shows renewables are unreliable, which poses a terrifying warning for US as vicious winter storm sweeps across the country.
The energy shortage is largely the result of an over-reliance on solar and wind-generated power, which was exacerbated by Europe’s 2015 Paris Climate Accord agreement, which required the closure of coal-fired power plants and their replacement with less reliable wind and solar power alternatives.
Unpredictable energy sources, without a doubt, cause unnecessary suffering, financial strain, and even illness among the most vulnerable. Americans should learn from Europe’s misguided energy strategy and overreliance on wind and solar power, or else many parts of the country will face prolonged power outages.
As the colder months approach, Europe may soon experience temporary outages in cell phone and internet service, school closures due to a lack of lighting and heating, and traffic jams caused by underpowered traffic lights. Candle sales have skyrocketed in Germany, a country heavily reliant on Russian gas due to its closed nuclear power plants, in anticipation of power outages.
In fact, electric car owners in Finland are being advised not to heat their vehicles on cold mornings in order to avoid overloading the power grid.
Energy companies in the United Kingdom have created a game out of saving energy during peak usage times by bribing participants to sit in the dark in exchange for prizes and monetary savings.
Europe’s proposed alternative energy sources are far from a wise investment for families suffering from low energy production. The message is clear: you will suffer this winter, but with savings and a smile.
When it comes to wind power, sometimes the wind simply does not blow. This phenomenon occurred in Europe in 2021, when a significant decrease in wind caused a decrease in energy generation by wind turbines. Just recently, wind power production in the UK fell from 28% of overall energy production to just 3%.
Despite Europe’s aggressive commitment to the source, solar energy has proven to be just as unpredictable in its output. Because of a lack of wind power, the United Kingdom’s reliance on coal for energy outperformed wind and solar. The dependability of coal is so obvious that the country is beginning to reinvest in coal mines in order to keep them operational.
Since Russia cut gas supplies in response to European sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, there has been a sharp increase in demand for natural gas, forcing prices to rise ever higher. However, this is a bad omen for the elderly and low-income Europeans who are unprepared to deal with the consequences of supply chain issues.
The death toll could rise to 185,000 if each country experiences its coldest winter since 2000. 147,000 more people may die from cold-related illnesses than if electricity costs remained constant from 2015 to 2019. Normally, Europe sees an increase in winter deaths due to the colder weather.
European-style energy policies in the United States also have tragic consequences with little benefit to Americans. Electricity prices in the United States have more than doubled as a result of the Biden administration’s inflationary policies. Oil and natural gas prices have followed suit.
Hundreds of people died in Texas in February 2021 as a result of blackouts caused by frozen wind turbines. Meanwhile, the administration intends to replace fossil fuel power with wind and solar energy by incorporating $369 billion in climate funding into the Inflation Reduction Act.
If energy policymakers do not act quickly, the United States risks becoming a European “green” energy nightmare. That is not what Americans want or deserve. Congressional leaders from both parties should pay attention to the clear European warning signs before it’s too late and American citizens are left in the dark.