Germans pay only 14% more than Americans for their electricity. Their kWh rate is higher, but because they have had high rates well before renewables or the decision to close nuclear they are much more efficient in their use of electricity.
A 14% higher electricity cost would not, as far as I can understand, put 12,000,000 people in the dark. Especially in a country where rents are 15% cheaper and food about 5% cheaper.
$200 per person per month for food = $600 per month for a three person household. Europeans would pay $30 less.
Average rent in the US is $1083. 15% less is $162.
More than makes up for the extra $15 electricity costs.
Monthly bill:monthly bill = apples:apples.
That said I don't believe in the wind power strategy, because you still need a CO2 driven back up system, I believe more in wave technology.
You are free to believe that, but the world does not believe with you. We have no adequate way to harvest wave power. And there are times during which wave action drops very low which makes wave a non-100% operating energy source.
All forms of electricity generation need backup. Right now we use over-capacity, including but not exclusively fossil fuels. Going forward we will continue to replace fossil fuels with storage and renewable generation.
It would be fair to let consumers pay a extremely high price for KWH used above the average use of the market, but that will never happen, for logical reasons.
Tiered billing based on usage is very common. Standard practice here in CA. PG&E has three tiers, 13c, 15c, 32c and 36c/kwh.
And then you have Norway, with the highest low income wages in the world, with kWh prices less than US 10 cents per unit (hydro power) and with a very high per capita electric power consumption due to heating.
You do realize, do you not, that several European countries have long applied taxes to electricity and vehicle fuel as a way to encourage efficiency and conservation? That's why Europeans tend to drive much more efficient cars than do Americans.
The renewable energy surcharge in Germany is 5.3 euro cents. There's 8.5c of taxes on each kWh of electricity that goes to the government general funds (VAT, etc.).
Norway is a producer and exported of oil. The price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Norway (Sep. '13) was $10.08.
BTW EVs, especially the Tesla S, are selling like hotcakes in Norway. Between being able to dodge taxes and the high price of fuel Norwegians are electrifying.