Wind & Solar Energy Bankrupting Sunshine State
https://miamiindependent.com/wind-solar-energy-bankrupting-sunshine-state/
Excerpt:
The State of Florida, long a model of economic growth and conservative fiscal policy, now faces a paradox: while bathed in sunshine and surrounded by natural beauty, it is flirting with energy insolvency. Despite its bounty of natural gas and a history of reliable and affordable electric power, the Sunshine State is increasingly embracing wind and solar energy—two intermittent sources heavily reliant on subsidies, regulatory distortion and taxpayer support.
According to energy analyst Dave Walsh, a speaker at last weekend’s Reclaim Campaign event in Venice, Florida, this green energy shift is not only misguided—it is a direct threat to Florida’s economic sustainability.
Dave Walsh, former president of Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Americas and a frequent commentator on energy policy, has issued repeated warnings about the consequences of an overreliance on renewable energy. His central thesis is simple: wind and solar power are not financially or technically viable replacements for baseload energy.
Unlike clean coal, natural gas or nuclear—which produce consistent power regardless of time or weather—wind and solar depend on conditions beyond human control. In Florida, that volatility translates into higher costs, increasing grid instability, and growing dependence on backup generation that negates many of the claimed environmental benefits.
Misguided Incentives
Florida’s flirtation with bankruptcy-by-renewables begins with misguided incentives. State and federal subsidies have fueled the construction of massive solar farms and planning for offshore wind turbines. While these projects are often promoted as “free energy from nature,” they come at a very real cost to taxpayers and utility ratepayers. Solar panel installations require vast tracts of land, expensive lithium-ion battery backups, and regular maintenance, all of which are typically financed through public-private partnerships that shift financial risk onto the state’s utility ratepayers.
At the core of the issue is the fundamental mismatch between renewable energy supply and consumer demand. Florida’s energy usage peaks during hot, humid summer afternoons, when air conditioning is essential for survival. 1. Solar power can help during the day, but its output vanishes at dusk—just as demand remains high.
2. Wind power is even less reliable, as Florida’s wind speeds are among the lowest in the nation and rarely coincide with peak demand periods.
To fill the gap, utilities must maintain parallel fossil fuel infrastructure—effectively paying for two systems at once. The result? Rising electric power rates, wasted investment and fiscal stress.
These costs ripple through the economy. Homeowners and renters see higher monthly electric power rates. Small businesses struggle with energy unpredictability. Industrial users face supply limitations that discourage investment and expansion. Meanwhile, the state government is forced to divert public funds toward green energy infrastructure that fails to deliver dependable supply of electric power. According to Walsh, this is a recipe for economic erosion: “We are funding fantasy energy at the expense of real prosperity.”
Environmental Costs of Green Energy
Beyond the economic ledger, the environmental case for wind and solar in Florida is also more complicated than advertised.
1. Solar panel production and disposal present significant ecological concerns. The panels contain toxic materials such as cadmium and lead, which can leach into groundwater if not properly recycled—a process that is costly and underdeveloped.
2. Wind turbines, for their part, have limited lifespans, and their massive fiberglass blades are largely non-recyclable, often ending up in landfills.
Additionally, there is the issue of land use. Large-scale solar farms require thousands of acres that displace natural ecosystems, farmland or rural communities. The push for offshore wind turbines—though still in early stages in Florida—threatens marine life and local fisheries. Walsh argues that these environmental trade-offs are rarely acknowledged in the glossy marketing campaigns that promote green energy.
Grid Reliability
A particularly insidious consequence of this shift to green energy is the erosion of grid reliability. In a state prone to hurricanes and tropical storms, energy security is not a luxury—it is a necessity. Traditional energy plants are built to withstand storms and restore power quickly. By contrast, solar farms and wind turbines are fragile and must often be shut down in advance of severe weather. After Hurricane Ian in 2022, thousands of Floridians waited days for electric power, and renewable systems were among the slowest to recover. This raises a critical question: can Florida afford to gamble on weather-dependent sources of electric power in a climate that demands resilience?
The answer, according to Walsh, is “No”—and the costs are mounting. He cites California and Germany as cautionary tales. Both jurisdictions pursued aggressive renewable agendas, only to experience spiking prices, grid blackouts and declining industrial competitiveness. We also saw the electric power blackouts in Spain and Portugal earlier this year due to their reliance exclusively on wind and solar power. Florida, he warns, is heading down the same road unless it reverses course quickly.
Energy Realism
What, then, is the alternative? Walsh advocates for a return to energy realism. That means investing in reliable baseload generation—particularly natural gas, in which Florida is rich—and expanding nuclear energy, which produces zero emissions without the volatility of solar and wind. It also means ending the distorting subsidies and mandates that force utilities to prioritize the environmental ideology over energy output. It also means not turning off existing plants that are producing efficient energy, even when they are burning clean coal.
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FPL’s subsidiary NextEra is one of the largest solar energy companies in the country. DeSantis and the Tallyturds are easily bought by big companies like FPL. The EPA and Trump need to end all government subsidies for solar energy. Solar is another industry whose viability is due to government subsidies.
BP Makes Biggest Oil Discovery in 25 Years Offshore Brazil
https://gcaptain.com/bp-makes-biggest-oil-discovery-in-25-years-offshore-brazil/
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BP has announced a significant oil and gas discovery at the Bumerangue prospect in deepwater offshore Brazil, marking the company’s largest discovery in 25 years.
The exploration well, designated 1-BP-13-SPS, was drilled in the Santos Basin approximately 404 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro at a water depth of 2,372 meters. The well reached a total depth of 5,855 meters.
According to BP, the well intersected the reservoir about 500 meters below the structure’s crest and penetrated an estimated 500-meter gross hydrocarbon column in high-quality pre-salt carbonate reservoir. The discovery has an areal extent exceeding 300 square kilometers.
The well was drilled by the Valaris Renaissance (DS-15), an ultra-deepwater GustoMSC P10,000 drillship built in 2014.
Initial rig-site analysis showed elevated levels of carbon dioxide, prompting BP to begin laboratory analysis to further characterize the reservoir and fluids. Additional appraisal activities are planned, subject to regulatory approval.
“We are excited to announce this significant discovery at Bumerangue, BP’s largest in 25 years,” said Gordon Birrell, BP’s executive vice president for Production & Operations. “This is another success in what has been an exceptional year so far for our exploration team, underscoring our commitment to growing our upstream. Brazil is an important country for BP, and our ambition is to explore the potential of establishing a material and advantaged production hub in the country.”
The Bumerangue discovery represents BP’s tenth discovery in 2025 to date, following other successful exploration efforts in Trinidad, Egypt, the Gulf of America, Libya, Brazil, Namibia, and Angola.
BP holds 100% participation in the Bumerangue block with Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. as the Production Sharing Contract manager. The company secured the block in December 2022 during the 1st Cycle of the Open Acreage of Production Sharing of ANP, with terms including 80% cost oil and 5.9% profit oil.
The energy giant has maintained operations in Brazil for more than 50 years and currently holds interests in eight offshore blocks across three basins in the country, operating four of these blocks. In addition to the current Bumerangue campaign, BP has planned an exploration well for the Tupinambá block in 2026.
This discovery aligns with BP’s strategic plans to grow its global upstream production to 2.3-2.5 million barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030, with capacity for further increases through 2035.