Four Dirty Secrets about Clean Energy

FoxNews ^ | June 03, 2011 | Alex Epstein

[george76]

While most countries claim to support huge carbon caps, in practice they have resisted implementing them. The reason is simple: fossil fuels provide nearly 90% of the energy we use--the cheap, abundant fuel that powers modern farming, manufacturing, construction, transportation, and hospitals. The use of fossil fuels is directly correlated to quality and quantity of life, particularly through the generation of electricity ; in the past two decades, hundreds of millions of people have risen out of poverty because energy production has tripled in India and quadrupled in China, almost exclusively from carbon-based fuels. To drastically restrict carbon-based fuels, countries have conceded in practice, would be an economic disaster.

...

Dirty Secret #1: If “clean energy” were actually cheaper than fossil fuels, it wouldn’t need a policy.

Al Gore claims that he knows of “renewable sources that can give us the equivalent of $1 per gallon gasoline.” Then why doesn’t he go make a fortune on it by outcompeting gasoline-powered cars?

More broadly, if other sources of energy are so good, why must the government have a policy to support them and cripple their competitors?

...

Another major problem with solar and wind is that they produce energy only intermittently...

For all the talk of “being green,” solar and wind require far greater amounts of land and materials-use than practical energy--their land “footprint” and resource usage is far larger. Huge, 400-foot tall wind-turbines with 150-foot blades and noise known to cause unbearable headaches a mile away do not exactly embody the environmentalist ideal of “living in harmony with nature.” Nor are tens or hundreds or thousands of square miles of solar panels. Nor are the enormous transmission lines necessary to bring energy from, say, Nevada to California.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

[bigbob]

The source of all energy is the Sun, it's a matter of how we harvest it. Since all it took is a sharp stick to harvest coal, we've been using it the longest. Figuring out how to extract oil from the ground and refine it into highly potent gasoline took longer but it gives us a portable reasonably-safe fuel that has very high energy density. Radioactive uranium is even better, but we've only begun to use it effectively and have made some mistakes along the way. Wind and solar don't require us to wait millions of years to harvest the Sun's energy, but right now it's very expensive, so the gummint decides to help out by offering incentives and subsidies. Eventually, renewables will get to the point where this won't be necessary - we'll probably see the end of ethanol subsidies yet this year. You're aware that ALL forms of energy receive subsidies, aren't you? I agree that it would be great not to - but traditional fossil fuels get the most:

[DTogo]

Dirty secret #5: Renewable energy generation is low man-hour = fewer jobs.

- Generating energy from "free" sources such as the sun/wind = no exploration jobs (gas), no drilling jobs (gas), no processing jobs (gas), no mining jobs (coal), no storage jobs (gas), no transportation jobs (coal & gas), etc.

- Renewable energy touts itself as having lower operational costs = far fewer people/shifts to operate a wind/solar farm than a gas/coal-fired power plant.

Lowering unemployment with thousands of "Green jobs" is a HOAX!

[musicman]

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[WHBates]

Nice chart, where did you get? How is carbon capture a fuel subsidy? Hummm, kind of puts the rest of the chart in question.

[SierraWasp]

Good catch, George. I see we already have one reply still advocating irrational alternative energy and is “probably” also expecting it to be implemented through GovernMental MANDATES!!! (wretched concept for sure)

[BenKenobi]

Yeah, tell that to anyone who’s actually tried to use solar panels.

Low maintenance?! Not in winter...

[george76]

Thanks SierraWasp.

Making us poor won’t save planet

[HangThemHigh]

"How is carbon capture a fuel subsidy?"

OK it is not.

But it artificially raises the price of fossil energy and funds flow to nuclear or alternative sources. Same effect, different name.

[Smokin' Joe]

Since all it took is a sharp stick to harvest coal, we've been using it the longest.

Nope. We were using the dull sticks even before we found out we could use the sharp ones to scratch out coal...

[AmericanVictory]

Actually wind farms have a high maintenance cost. That is why when you drive through one so many of the windmills’ blades are not turning.

[mvpel]

Taxing something less than 100% is not a “subsidy.” And if you’re going to count that, then of course fossil fuels will get the biggest share of your chart, since they make up such a huge portion of our energy supply.

[longtermmemmory]

every volt is sold at a $4000 loss.

the new version of the trebi

[upcountryhorseman]

For wind turbines, you have to factor in repair costs.
It is often cheaper to abandon bad turbines: huge cranes
are needed to remove large props and turbines off of the
towers. Regarding solar, they usually have a ten-year warranty. At the end of ten years, or so, they no longer produce much electricity and have to be replaced.

[ShadowAce]

The source of all energy is the Sun,

I got that far and couldn't read any more since your initial premise is wrong.