Alternative Energy: Lessons from Spain (Part 2 of 2)

IER economist Robert P. Murphy discussing Spain's green jobs experience at a briefing on December 3rd, 2009.

The briefing, entitled Alternative Energy: Lessons from Spain featured a panel of experts from diverse backgrounds who discussed Spains efforts to develop green jobs and technology and whether these policies should be considered in the United States.

Murphy's testimony cites data from "Study of the Effects on Employment of Public Aid to Renewable Energy Sources," a study by Dr. Gabriel Calzada Alvarez of the King Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain.

The Spanish green jobs study can be found here: http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/green-jobs-resources/

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• green jobs
• Robert Murphy
• spain
• alternative energy

[RandallSteen]

It is true the government inhibits price discovery in the energy market. However, I think that the government should not subsidize any energy sector including Oil. Both Tony Blair and George Bush represent major oil interests. If we factored in the cost of buying those assets at fair market, which would be by definition, a price higher that the cost of our war machine. We would then arrive at the true cost per kW. This doesn't even cover the discount rate to future generations...

[guyjohn59]

The fact that fossil fuels are cheap mean that they don't pollute; because if they polluted, they would get sued by people, causing cost increases. And since global warming is just (supposed) future pollution which would affect everybody, tons of people would have already started suing or at least would have put up some of their own money on research. Think about the people whose island will be underwater. If people were worried about it, there wouldn't just be government action.

[bacterialgeneralpori]

Internalizing the negative externalities of coal soots would offer a realistic alternative to green-house-gas "pollutants." The Montreal Protocol included this mandate and was effective in reducing known and accepted air pollutants: CFC, SO2, NO2, et. al.

[Voy2378]

Great video. I wish somebody would talk about benefits and problems of the nuclear energy(in the context of global warming and costs).