An energy expert took to LinkedIn to debunk a chart making the rounds, explaining that renewables are more affordable and effective than the chart makes it appear.
Michael Thomas, the founder of Clearview, a company that tracks energy data, posted a chart detailing energy prices that was "misleading" and whose author was in the pocket of the oil and gas lobby.
The chart shows how much energy costs around the world, but it shows retail costs rather than the cost of producing the energy. A better metric would be the wholesale price of energy, which is set in Europe by the cost of gas. This is because on wholesale markets, the price is set by the most expensive source of energy, which is almost always gas.
Meanwhile, the retail price of energy is impacted by taxes and fees, and in places like Germany and Denmark, which are near the top of the chart in terms of energy costs, those taxes and fees on greenhouse gas-producing gas and oil are incredibly high.
Thomas explained that the misleading chart is the work of Chris Marz of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. CFACT is a think tank of the conservative oil and gas lobby and has taken millions of dollars to put out misleading information about clean energy over the years.
The fact of the matter is that clean energy, like solar and wind power, is more affordable in the long run and reduces the amount of planet-warming gases we are pumping into the atmosphere to generate it.
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Thomas explained why it's important to call out misinformation like this chart when he sees it.
"I think that fighting lies with facts is important," he said. "And one of the most important lies we can fight is that renewables make your electricity bills higher. That's not true, and we need to shout it from the rooftops."
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