From an article on dutchnews.nl we found out that the government crusade against natural gas will take another step in 2020: prices will rise.
So the government has a strategy: more taxes. To encourage everyone (read: to force everyone) to get rid of natural gas as source of heating. But there is a big question around the whole thing: how is possible that new, clean technologies are not breaking the market and emerge in a consistent base? Why the households are not changing to those new ways of heating their homes? You'd expect that the old, dirty, natural gas based systems to be deprecated by the free market forces, right?;)
Well, the thing is that the natural gas heating systems are by far the most convenient, price wise solution on the market, especially in countries where the winter is not a joke (as Central-Eastern Europe side or the Northern countries). The new systems (heating pumps, electric heating units, etc) are either not cheap, or not practical to install and operate for most of the households around.
What is even more odd, is that the taxes for natural gas is driving the prices up, but the electricity is following the path as well. In the future, we'll probably have a non-gas based world (well, Dutch world that is), but also higher taxation on the kWh.
It's a fact that plenty of families (here in NL) couldn't afford to heat their homes in a consistent manner in 2019 (due to the high costs). I wonder how they will be able to afford systems that are 3-4x times more expensive to install in the first place.
Saving the planet is a big (dirty) business.
p.s. meanwhile, in China coal power plants return. Part XIX.
