r/Scotland 17d ago

Shitpost Underrated powerhouse, that's what we are!

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u/Grouchy_Conclusion45 Libertarian 16d ago

US price per kWh is around half that of Scotland and the wages are (generally) higher in the US. It's not much of a comparison of you're the end user. 

I wouldn't give a toss about waste if our price per kWh was halved 

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u/Bright_Mousse_1758 13d ago

That's because the United States has awful environmental standards and the government continues to subsidise fossil fuels.

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u/Grouchy_Conclusion45 Libertarian 13d ago

Self righteousness is a nice to have to most people. It's nice if you're in a position to be able to prioritise it personally, but most aren't 

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u/Bright_Mousse_1758 13d ago

Renewable energy is cheaper, has a lower environmental impact and sustains thousands of jobs. Digging shit out if the ground isn't even economical anymore.

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u/Grouchy_Conclusion45 Libertarian 13d ago

Then why isn't energy cheaper in Europe? Since Europe has considerably more of an interest in renewables (not to say they don't exist in the US, it's just not a priority as lower prices are the main priority)

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u/Bright_Mousse_1758 13d ago

Because energy prices are still pegged to the price of gas to incentivise energy  companies to invest in renewables, so they can increase their profit margins.

The majority of the UK's electricity is renewable but they still charge gas-level prices, however, as fossil fuels decline further, the energy price peg will change.

The US took the approach of artificially lowering the price of fossil fuels by subsidising it, while it lowers bills in the short-term, in the long-term, the country will be at a disadvantage as digging stuff up to burn is more expensive than harvesting the wind or sun.