Get Ready For the Coming Cleantech Backlash (Signs of imminent collapse of green technologies)

RealClearMarkets ^ | 11/15/2010 | Bill Frezza

[gov_bean_ counter]

Corn ethanol, bio-diesel, rooftop solar panels, windmills, battery powered cars - one could hardly cobble together a more marginal set of immature technologies to jam into the market using the blunt instruments of government subsidies, mandates, and rebates. While intended to nurture infant industries until they can thrive on their own, taking a technology to market prematurely inevitably creates a dependent class of investors, manufacturers, suppliers, and customers living on the brink of economic ruin. Joining together in a self-congratulatory community that consumes wealth while producing only virtue, these businesses remain shielded from the very market forces whose discipline is essential if their products are ever to achieve economic sustainability.

The ghost of Ayn Rand speaks...

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Huskrrrr]

I drive past Solyndra every week. Currently laying off employees and in all likelyhood will default on $600 billion in DOE loans. California will continue to be stuck on stupid for decades.

[Sacajaweau]

I saw a show on gadgets. A bike had a little motor which was used to run the GPS unit, bike light and/or other accessories. Some of these gadgets simply create nothing and there is no net gain.

The invention of the century..."The remote control". I can't even imagine getting up to change the channel...

[neodad]

The invention of the century..."The remote control". I can't even imagine getting up to change the channel...

I hear that!

[Free Vulcan]

I tend to agree with all this. I’m all for energy self-sufficiency any way we can do it, but it all has to stand on it’s own.

The only alternative tech that stands on it’s own right now is farm digesters, and they are a drop in the bucket to the entire natural gas market. There is no seriously viable large scale energy technology right now and I don’t see one coming for the near future.

[Sacajaweau]

Our city just got $2 mil...for a green roof and other cr** including new drainageto “balance” runoff...which makes no sense at all since the GENESEE RIVER runs through the center of of the city...

[Huskrrrr]

Sorry, should have read “$600 million”...

[facedown]

The invention of the century..."The remote control".

Oh I don't know. The weedwhacker is pretty high up there.

[WebFocus]

RE: I drive past Solyndra every week. Currently laying off employees and in all likelyhood will default on $600 billion in DOE loans. California will continue to be stuck on stupid for decades.

---

As a conservative, I have nothing against anyone trying to develop a clean, safe, reliable energy source that would be an alternative to oil, natural gas, coal or nuclear. Why would any conservative be against such innovation?

What we are against are MANDATES ( AKA FORCING PEOPLE TO USE PRODUCTS AGAINST THEIR WILL ).

If a company’s product ( e.g. Solyndra) is worth its salt LET IT COMPETE IN THE MARKETPLACE. In other words, SHOW US HOW IT IS VALUE FOR MONEY without jamming it down our throats via the power of government.

The reason why there’s so much backlash against green technology is because of all these MANDATES in the first place.

[Le Chien Rouge]

Using one’s food supply for fuel is insane.

End ethanol subsidies now.

[TexasTransplant]

Nuclear Power, Natural Gas, Drill Baby Drill, build more Refineries and Coal to Diesel.

All will stand on their own and the combination will easily make us Energy Independent.

The above list would cost the Tax Payers ZIP and would bring the price of Energy down....

On the downside doing away with all of those Regulations would put a big ding in Lobbyist Paychecks and diminish the power wielded by Politicians.

TT

[Paine in the Neck]

consumes wealth while producing only virtue

Minor, but important, correction for accuracy ...

"consumes wealth while producing only virtue sanctimony"

[Free Vulcan]

Ethanol has no effect on the food supply, unless you consider soda pop food. 1/2 the corn already is fed to livestock, the DDG’s left over from the ethanol process are also fed to livestock and are more healthy without all the extra carbs.

Ethanol still needs to stand on it’s own though.

[SkyPilot]

Bbbbbuuuut.....what does this mean?

Do you mean that these "Carbon Credit" certificates that are printed to look like stocks are really......worthless?

[Alberta's Child]

I find articles like this to be very interesting, mainly because they point to the difficulty a modern society like ours has in dealing with the sobering limitations of the natural world.

To put it simply, there is no way to get something for nothing when it comes to energy production and use. Every form of energy we use has a cost associated with it, though sometimes this cost isn't always obvious to us.

[SkyPilot]

I have a present for you gov: 25 TRILLION!

I know...I know. Hey, no big thing! Don't mention it. Consider it an early Christmas gift.

[The Comedian]

The entire underlying Obama gree "plan"/scam is collapsing, just like everyone with a basic grasp of economics knew it would. Go nuclear! Drill baby, drill!

"Economic Holocaust" ping.

Moderate (but increasing) volume ping list.

FReepmail me if you want on or off
The Comedian's "Economic Holocaust" ping list...

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[SkyPilot]

Using one’s food supply for fuel is insane.

The Germans discovered that during WWII.

They used the 1944 potato crop to make synthetic fuel.

The German people paid a terrible price for this in 1945 and into 1946.