European green energy fiasco is a dire warning for the US this winter | Popgen Tech

Europe’s climate awareness is hardly paying off for European families facing a dangerous energy crisis amid surprise power outages this winter. The energy shortage is largely due to an over-reliance on solar and wind power exacerbated by Europe’s 2015 Paris Climate Accord, which calls for coal-fired power plants to be closed and replaced with less reliable wind and solar alternatives.

There is no doubt that unpredictable energy sources such as these cause unnecessary suffering, financial strain and even illness among the most vulnerable. Americans must heed Europe’s misguided energy strategy and misplaced reliance on wind and solar power, or else watch many regions of the United States endure prolonged power shortages.

As the colder months arrive, Europe may soon face temporary cuts in cellphone and internet service, school closures due to lack of lighting and heating and even traffic jams from underpowered traffic lights. In Germany, a country heavily dependent on Russian gas because of its shuttered nuclear power plants, candle sales soared in anticipation of power outages. In fact, owners of electric cars in Finland are told not to heat their vehicles on frosty mornings to avoid overstressing the electrical grid.

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In the UK, energy companies have made a game of saving energy at peak times by bribing participants to sit in the dark in exchange for prizes and monetary savings. The message from the UK is clear: you may suffer this winter, but you will suffer with a spare change and a smile. The truth is that alternative energy sources proposed by Europe are far from a smart investment for families suffering from low energy production.

When it comes to relying on wind power, sometimes the wind just doesn’t blow. Europe experienced this phenomenon in 2021 when a drastic reduction in wind caused a decrease in energy generation by wind turbines. Just recently, wind power production in the UK has fallen from 28% of overall energy production to just 3%.

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Due to a lack of wind power, the UK’s reliance on coal for energy has outperformed wind and solar, even though the country has almost completely banned its coal production. The reliability of coal is so evident that the nation is beginning to reinvest in coal mines to keep the plants open for business. Yet it is doubtful that such reinvestment will spur an increase in reliable energy in time to protect its citizens from frigid winter temperatures.

Solar energy, on the other hand, has proven to be just as unpredictable in its output, despite Europe’s aggressive commitment to the source. Since Russia cut gas supplies following Europe’s sanctions over the war in Ukraine, there has been a sharp increase in demand for natural gas, forcing prices ever higher as a result. But it bodes ill for elderly, lower-income Europeans who are ill-equipped to deal with the consequences of supply chain issues.

Usually Europe sees an increase in winter deaths, but more than 100,000 Europeans could die this winter due to high energy prices, according to a study by The Economist magazine. If every country experiences its coldest winter since 2000, the death toll could rise to 185,000. But even if temperatures remain at normal levels, 147,000 more people could die from cold-related illnesses than if electricity costs remained at 2015-2019 averages.

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In the United States, European-style energy policies are similarly causing tragic consequences with little benefit to Americans. As a result of the Biden administration’s inflationary policies, US electricity prices have more than doubled. Oil and natural gas prices have done the same. Hundreds of people in Texas died in February 2021 after frozen wind turbines caused outages. Meanwhile, the administration plans to replace fossil fuel power with wind and solar power by locking in $369 billion in climate spending in the Inflation Reduction Act.

If energy policymakers don’t stop soon, they risk turning the United States into a European “green” energy nightmare. This is the last thing Americans want or deserve. Congressional leaders on both sides of the political aisle should heed the clear European warning signs before it’s too late and American citizens are left in the dark.