Germany, Spain and UK pay double or triple US rates despite huge renewable investments

By Bjorn Lomborg 

At the Sept. 23, 2025, U.N. General Assembly, President Donald Trump drew global headlines by blasting what he called the “extreme cost” of the green transition, arguing that climate alarmism is impoverishing ordinary people while enriching elites. Fox News has the story.

Whatever one thinks of Trump’s rhetoric, he touched on an inconvenient truth: despite endless assurances from campaigners and institutions like the U.N., World Bank, and World Economic Forum, wind and solar are still not delivering cheap energy. In fact, they are making electricity more expensive. 

For years, media and green advocates have insisted that solar and wind are now the cheapest forms of electricity. This claim is central to the idea that a green transition is inevitable and beneficial — even under a second Trump administration. But two decades of evidence shows the opposite. The countries that have added the most solar and wind also have the highest power costs. 

The big lie and the awkward truth 

The claim of “cheap” solar and wind is built on a sleight of hand. These sources are indeed often competitive when the sun is shining, or the wind is blowing. But modern societies need power 24/7. When the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing, countries must rely on costly backup — mostly fossil fuels. Factoring in these costs reveals that renewables are far from cheap. 

A study of China found solar’s real cost was twice that of coal. Research about Germany and Texas showed that once backup costs are included, solar and wind go from appearing slightly cheaper to many times more expensive. 

We see this in consumer prices. Germany, Spain, Denmark and the U.K. have some of the world’s highest electricity costs alongside massive investments in renewables. Last year, households and industries in the EU paid more than 26 cents per kilowatt-hour, more than double the U.S. price of 13 cents and triple the price in China. The U.K., with its even greener ambition, paid an eye-watering 36 cents per kilowatt-hour, nearly three times the U.S. price and more than four times the price in China.

Across 70 countries, International Energy Agency data shows a clear pattern: more renewables, higher costs. Every 10% increase in the share of wind and solar raises average power costs by over four cents per kilowatt-hour. 

Days without wind — or honesty 

Headlines often tout how Germany and other nations and states generate most of their electricity from renewables. But these stories never mention the dark, windless days when solar and wind provide almost nothing. Last winter, renewables repeatedly delivered less than 4% of Germany’s power for an entire day. 

Advocates say batteries will fix this problem. But all of Germany’s storage would last less than 20 minutes. The reality: fossil fuels remain essential, but because they now run less frequently, costs soar. Last November, when solar and wind provided almost nothing, wholesale German prices spiked to $1 per kilowatt-hour 

As conventional plants shut down, the risks rise. A German utility CEO warned the country narrowly avoided blackouts only because the weather wasn’t colder. 

Poor countries can’t afford the lie 

If solar and wind were truly cheaper, poor countries would leapfrog to them. Yet the opposite is happening. Across developing nations, electricity demand rose almost 5% last year — mostly met by fossil fuels. China used more additional coal than it used additional solar and wind combined. Bangladesh used 13 times more additional coal than additional renewables. 

Read the full story here.