The reality of the 'green utopia' promoted by Europe's climate alarmists, devoid of any basis in reality, is explosively rising electricity prices
Europe’s "green utopia" is colliding head-on with the reality of winter. Extreme low temperatures have iced over wind turbines across northern countries, paralyzing wind energy production and exposing the limits of an energy transition that lacks adequate planning and reserves. In Finland, once hailed as a model of decarbonization, the combination of still air and frost has sent electricity prices soaring and brought the power grid dangerously close to a blackout, sparking serious questions about the cost and viability of the dominant "green" narrative.
The majority of the country's wind capacity is concentrated in Western Finland, where temperatures are hovering well below zero. These adverse weather conditions have led to a dangerous accumulation of ice on turbine blades. According to Bloomberg, this has forced grid operator Fingrid Oyj to restrict wind energy output. "Low fog clouds are present in Finland’s main wind production region at the height of the blades, causing the formation of new ice," stated Pia Isolähteenmäki, a consultant at Kjeller Vindteknikk Oy.
A significant portion of the Finnish wind fleet lacks blade heating systems designed for extreme cold. How is this even possible for a Nordic nation? Even the slightest ice buildup poses a risk of equipment damage and has led to operational shutdowns this week. Bloomberg data suggests that wind production in Finland is expected to remain critically low for the next two weeks. MetDesk meteorologists predict that Scandinavian wind output will stay up to 20% below normal levels until at least the middle of the month.
Electricity prices skyrocket
The result of the "green utopia" pushed by Europe’s climate alarmists—without any grounding in reality—is explosively rising electricity prices that are crushing the poorest working households. "Electricity prices in Finland are climbing to their highest winter levels on Monday due to intense cold, weak winds, and increased weekday demand," reported the local outlet Helsinki Times on Sunday.
In the US, a historic cold snap across the eastern half of the country has led to increased fossil fuel electricity production in order to prevent a total collapse of the electrical grid. Across the West, years of grid mismanagement by politicians embracing climate alarmism have turned once-reliable power systems into fragile gaps where low-income families shoulder some of the highest electricity costs in the world.
It is time to return to basics and expand natural gas and nuclear power plants—the only proven sources of clean and reliable large-scale electricity. It is also time to hold the climate alarmists accountable, as their policy decisions have pushed power grids to the brink of collapse while promising a green utopia that was never going to arrive. One cannot help but wonder if pushing the grids to the edge was intentional.
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