This new book by Remy Prudhomme, emeritus Professor of Economics and former deputy director at OECD is a master a piece demonstrating that renewable energies (i.e.solar and wind) are unable to solve electricity shortages as well as environmental problems. It’s a fact: the sun and the wind can be used to produce electricity. But this fact has changed since 20 years in a belief, that these renewable energies are the future of humanity. It happens that this belief is embodied in a dozen countries, which have implemented, with taxpayers ‘ money, massive investment programmes in this area. We now have a set of experiences, data, success, failures, costs, allowing to compare the dream to the reality, and learn a few lessons.
The German “Energiewende” policy looks like a dead end and eventually increases the price of electricity without solving CO2 emission, but however limiting nuclar wastes.
Why is this love affair substituting passion for reason? Prudhomme explains carefully the conjunction of politics, finance, NGO’s, opinion, media and teaching institutions. This is particularly true in France since the media are in fact under political and economic control. The title of the book is explicit:” The Myth of Renewable energies: when in love you spend without limits”.
I suggest that this book or at least a shortened version should be published in English!
Max Falque