Today in Biofuels Opinion: “Financial aid to Germany’s solar industry has now reached a level that far exceeds average wages.”

From the Chilling Effect: “Financial aid to Germany’s solar industry has now reached a level that far exceeds average wages, with per worker subsidies as high as $240,000 US. Government support for solar energy between 2000 and 2010 is estimated to have a total net cost of $73.2 billion US, and $28.1 billion US for wind. A similar expenditure in the US would amount to about half a trillion dollars US. In 2008, the price mark-up attributable to the government’s support for “green” electricity was about 2.2 cents US per kWh. For perspective, a 2.2 cent per kWh increase here in the US would amount to an average 19.4% increase in consumer’s electricity bills. Government aid for wind power is now three times the cost of conventional electricity.”

From Technology Review: “Producing advanced biofuels on the scale of tens of billions of gallons per year will mean financing several hundred commercial-­scale biorefineries at a net cost of roughly $250 billion. For investors in cellulosic ethanol to get a fair return on their money, the cost of oil would have to rise to $90 (and possibly as much as $120) per barrel, according to a joint study by Sandia National Laboratory and General Motors. Short of that, government support will be required to promote investment, in the form of tax breaks and mandates.”

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