This Wednesday, during the World Economic Forum in DavosElon Musk has asserted that a large solar power plant located in sparsely populated areas of Spain or Sicily could generate enough energy to power all of Europe. According to the entrepreneur, the necessary facilities are technologically feasible and simply need to be implemented. Musk cited China as an example, where solar plants already produce 540 gigawatts (GW) annually.

They ask us for a sustainable future, encouraging us to buy electric vehicles, install solar panels, aerothermal or geothermal systems, or whatever produces energy without emitting CO2 because the planet is going to hell. To get us to part with the money, they entice us with public aid that, in theory, makes investments profitable that otherwise wouldn't be. However, behind these promises lies a bureaucratic tangle that turns aid into deception and hope into frustration.