Over the past several years the "green economy" has been touted as the way of the future. Governments have been pumping tax payer dollars into it in the form of subsidies to "green" entrepreneurs. Now we see Spain, the leader in the so called "green Revolution" on the verge of bankruptcy. One economist found that each green job created cost the Spanish taxpayers $770,000 and each wind industry job cost $1.3 million.
If a product can't make it without government subsidies it just isn't ready for the market. That's not to say every company manufacturing solar panels is going to go broke, but its still a niche. Solar panels are great for devices that are difficult to plug into the grid like driveway lights or calculators but they just aren't going to power entire cities any time soon. Wind is often unpredictable and cannot be counted on as the only source of energy unless its stored in batteries. In many cases the areas suitable for wind farms are far away from population centres and carry high costs in infrastructure need to transmit the power.
We buy products that meet our needs and improve our lives and the green industry has fallen short of the mark. Its time for governments to stand back and let the great innovators thrive and the others fall by the wayside.
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