As world leaders and influencers converge for New York’s UN General Assembly and Climate Week, two incompatible visions are about to clash — rich-world elites obsessed with climate change versus developing nations battling poverty, hunger and disease.
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Germany, Spain and UK pay double or triple US rates despite huge renewable investments
By Bjorn Lomborg Fox News
Excerpt: At the Sept. 23, 2025, U.N. General Assembly, President Donald Trump drew global headlines by blasting what he called the “extreme cost” of the green transition, arguing that climate alarmism is impoverishing ordinary people while enriching elites. Whatever one thinks of Trump’s rhetoric, he touched on an inconvenient truth: despite endless assurances from campaigners and institutions like the U.N., World Bank, and World Economic Forum, wind and solar are still not delivering cheap energy. In fact, they are making electricity more expensive.
For years, media and green advocates have insisted that solar and wind are now the cheapest forms of electricity. This claim is central to the idea that a green transition is inevitable and beneficial — even under a second Trump administration. But two decades of evidence shows the opposite. The countries that have added the most solar and wind also have the highest power costs.
The big lie and the awkward truth
The claim of “cheap” solar and wind is built on a sleight of hand. These sources are indeed often competitive when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. But modern societies need power 24/7. When the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing, countries must rely on costly backup — mostly fossil fuels. Factoring in these costs reveals that renewables are far from cheap.
A study of China found solar’s real cost was twice that of coal. Research about Germany and Texas showed that once backup costs are included, solar and wind go from appearing slightly cheaper to many times more expensive.
We see this in consumer prices. Germany, Spain, Denmark and the U.K. have some of the world’s highest electricity costs alongside massive investments in renewables. Last year, households and industries in the EU paid more than 26 cents per kilowatt-hour, more than double the U.S. price of 13 cents and triple the price in China. The U.K., with its even greener ambition, paid an eye-watering 36 cents per kilowatt-hour, nearly three times the U.S. price and more than four times the price in China.
Across 70 countries, International Energy Agency data shows a clear pattern: more renewables, higher costs. Every 10% increase in the share of wind and solar raises average power costs by over four cents per kilowatt-hour.
Poor countries can’t afford the lie
If solar and wind were truly cheaper, poor countries would leapfrog to them. Yet the opposite is happening. Across developing nations, electricity demand rose almost 5% last year — mostly met by fossil fuels. China used more additional coal than it used additional solar and wind combined. Bangladesh used 13 times more additional coal than additional renewables.
Poor nations know reliability matters. Rich nations can indulge the solar-and-wind illusion only because they already have fossil backups and lavish subsidies.
