logoalt Hacker News

mono442yesterday at 7:37 PM3 repliesview on HN

The reality is that expensive electricity in the EU is by design. The EU ETS imposes heavy taxes on fossil fuels (and they are set to increase even more), which in turn causes the price of electricity to rise. Fully renewable electricity generation is still a long way off, so this will continue for a long time. But it is entirely a self-imposed political problem and could easily be fixed by getting rid of the EU ETS or capping the price of emissions at a more reasonable level.


Replies

gman83yesterday at 7:39 PM

Yeah, crippling Europe in the long term for short term gain might not be the best idea - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/critical...

show 1 reply
throawayontheyesterday at 7:40 PM

why would you do that

m463yesterday at 7:42 PM

It seems many markets have punitive pricing on electricity, california being one egregious example.

In most places, if you buy more of something, you are a good customer, it is usually more economical to sell to you and you get a discount.

In california people who use more kilowatts, pay more.

show 1 reply