A Reddit user questioned the validity of cheap green energy on r/ClimateSkeptics. The original poster resides in Oahu, Hawaiʻi, where electricity rates are higher than they were in 2000, prior to the state's emphasis on renewable energy.
Predictably, the comment section blew up. While there were many supporters of the OP's claim, some responders attempted to debunk it.
A commenter gave Denmark as an example of a place that relies on renewable energy and has cheaper energy costs. "The prices depend on a lot of factors and they didn't only start rising in Hawaiʻi when renewables were built," they noted.
Denmark hasn't transitioned to 100% renewable energy yet, but it makes up approximately 73% of the country's power generation, per the International Energy Agency. The country aims to cease fossil fuel production by 2050. However, it also has high electricity costs, which many respondents were quick to point out.
In truth, the reason Denmark has such high electricity costs isn't because of renewable energy. It's because of electricity taxes. At the time of writing, Denmark charges 90 øre ($0.14) per kilowatt-hour in taxes, which are added to the overall cost, according to the Danish Dream.
That's on top of the average $0.36 per kilowatt-hour Denmark charges for electricity, which is less than Hawaiʻi and five other countries in the European Union, but still fairly expensive.
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As for Hawaiʻi, most of its energy woes can historically be traced back to oil. It takes longer for imported oil to be shipped to the archipelago, Hawaiian Electric told KHON, with the price of oil being directly linked to electricity costs. The war in Ukraine has made oil more difficult to import, which has also increased prices.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 33% of Hawaiʻi's total energy in 2024 came from renewables. It has the highest electricity prices of any U.S. state; however, it also has the highest petroleum consumption, at 90%.
The damage that fossil fuels do to the planet must also be considered. A 2020 Greenpeace report found that air pollution caused by fossil fuels leads to over 4 million premature deaths worldwide and costs a whopping $8 billion per day.
Transitioning to renewable energy would not only cost less in the long run, but would also cause much less harm. In fact, studies have found that the cost of energy decreases when more renewable energy projects are built.
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