Learn from Uruguay

[allegrif]

If Uruguay can go from oil being 27% of its imports in 2000 to renewable energy making up 95% of its electricity in 2015, without government subsidies, why can't the rest of the world take serious note? In addition to the lack of government subsidies, electricity prices in Uruguay even fell!

[url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy]http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy[/url]

[Zarostulus]

There must be more to this story. It can't just be that easy. They must have had infrastructure previously that was on its last legs and ready for a major overhaul, which they'd therefore been saving up for for a long time and had the resources to invest in at the turn of the century. It's still a simply magnificent achievement, but it can't just happen like this everywhere unfortunately. I guess it must be very, very windy in Uruguay!

[CuriousGeorge]

[quote author=allegrif link=topic=203.msg507#msg507 date=1449155812]
If Uruguay can go from oil being 27% of its imports in 2000 to renewable energy making up 95% of its electricity in 2015, without government subsidies, why can't the rest of the world take serious note? In addition to the lack of government subsidies, electricity prices in Uruguay even fell!

[url=http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy]http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/uruguay-makes-dramatic-shift-to-nearly-95-clean-energy[/url]
[/quote]
A superb achievement and something our government needs to learn from. We have no excuse. We're one of the richest countries in the world and we're in a prime spot for hydroelectricity and wind power.

[Jemappelle]

In smaller countries it's easier for these things to happen. Somewhere like china couldn't just demolish all their coal power plants and replace them all overnight. Though I can't fault them for making this progress.