Spain, blinded by visions of a solar future, subsidised the industry so lavishly that in 2008 the country accounted for two-fifths of the world's new solar-power installations by wattage.
But this could be the least of our problems, for in the long term it's at the level of these very basic, infrastructural services that Silicon Valley's promise of a glorious, advertising-subsidised future seems most dubious.
He adds that everyone will do it less in the future, because customers who can buy only if subsidised are poor prospects for future earnings: "You can't up-sell higher-margin follow-on work to them later because they can't afford it".This leaves the most troubling criticism: that the firm might be a creature of China's security services.
A heavily subsidised government "starter homes" initiative will stymie the future release of land "for this vital source of affordable housing".
"In order to address the significant budget reductions, Derby City Council will be challenging the services we provide, how we provide them, to what level they are provided or subsidised, and who should provide them in the future".
One idea is non-stop trains across Lithuania; another, subsidised flights.The big question, though, is the long-term future.
By contrast, Schmidt at Google foresees a future in which handsets and airtime are free, subsidised by advertising.
Some of the rents will be subsidised, and will generate a long-term income stream for future reinvestment in sub-market-priced homes.
If these sheets of paper are our common future, then you have sold our fate and subsidised our common destruction.
By selling spare capacity, their customers have subsidised Amazon's investment in technology infrastructure that in turn benefits from future development.
But he conceded that the council is unlikely to be able to subsidise Spirit in the future.
