Analyst notes: First it was Spain that came to face the laws of physics and economics. Now it is France facing the fact that legislative desire does not have power to overcome reality. This "wishful legislation" syndrome is still alive and well in America. We would all love to have renewable, clean energy powering our life... but there is that little thing about technology and market dynamics.
Decades ago congress funded study of solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, and other forms of energy as a replacement for coal and even nuclear. The result of the study said that the technology did not exist to economically use these sources. In fact, the actual amount of energy available in these sources is not sufficient to replace our current production and need. Never one to let reality cloud their wishes and promises, politicians in America and across the globe have pressed forward to force their economies toward these solutions. (Never mind letting science and the free market build the capability first.) Now, one by one nations are falling before reality. This time it is France. Their massive solar power migration has been stopped by its own success. Everyone is taking the government at its word and installing solar panels to generate electricity the power company MUST accept and pay for.... at 10 times the retail cost! Surprise, this is bankrupting the government and company forced to comply. France is now seeing that maybe paying China for the panels and the French for the sunshine.... is not working! Duh.
Remember when the Indiana legislature decided it would be nice if pi (the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter) were not such a long number (3.1415925635....) So.... being wise, all-powerful law makers, the made it law that in Indiana pi would be precisely 3.14 forever. Guess what, circles didn't care.... engineers in Indiana didn't care (or lost their jobs by complying with the law and making non-functioning machines).... finally they changed back....oh well. Nice thought!
Wake up Congress! Neither you nor Al Gore are all-powerful and all knowing! What you want to be may not be possible right now..... or ever!..... DUH!!
