Dutch Out Of Love With Industrial Wind

“When the Netherlands built its first sea-based wind turbines in 2006, they were seen as symbols of a greener future,” says this article by Ivana Sekularac.

“The 36 turbines — each one the height of a 30-storey building — produce enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 100,000 households each year.

“But five years later… the Dutch government says offshore wind power is too expensive and that it cannot afford to subsidize the entire cost of 18 cents per kilowatt hour — some 4.5 billion euros last year.

“The government now plans to transfer the financial burden to households and industrial consumers (and) will start billing consumers and companies in January 2013.”