Posted on 05/11/2015 5:35:15 AM PDT by bestintxas
The green energy movement in America is dead. May it rest in peace. No, a majority of American energy over the next 20 years is not going to come from windmills and solar panels. One important lesson to be learned from the green energy fad’s rapid and expensive demise is that central planning doesn’t work.
What crushed green energy was the boom in shale oil and gas along with the steep decline in the price of fossil fuel that few saw coming just a few years ago.
An International Energy Agency report concedes that green energy is in fast retreat and is getting crushed by “the recent drop in fossil fuel prices.” It finds that the huge price advantage for oil and natural gas means “fossil plants still dominate recent [electric power] capacity additions.”
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Most of the government experts — and many private investors, too — bought into the “peak oil” nonsense and the forecasts of fuel prices continuing to rise as we depleted the oil from the Earth’s crust. Oil was expected to stay way over $100 a barrel and potentially soon hit $200 a barrel. National Geographic infamously advertised on its cover in 2004: “The End of Cheap Oil.”
Barack Obama told voters that green energy was necessary because oil is a “finite resource” and we would eventually run out. Apparently, Mr. Obama never read “The Ultimate Resource” by Julian Simon, which teaches us that human ingenuity in finding resources outpaces resource depletion.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
AlGore laughs all the way to the bank, as the taxpayers subsidize his utility bills.
Wind/Solar/Hydro power are good for one thing. To be used to power desalination facilities.
tell me where in the world that happens.
those along the Arabian gulf are powered by natural gas.
Solar is good for something else:
1. power if the grid goes down.
2. power if the SHTF.
I’ve never seen solar as cost effective, but I want it on my farm to be fully independent and self sufficient.
It was never economical; a top down program thrust upon the ratepayers by politicians with cronies or relatives running green companies. Lots of corruption and lots of waste. Closing of perfectly good coal plants that had 20-30 more years of economically justified use in favor of uneconomical, pie in the sky crony capitalist projects.
yep. I think if not in jail, the greenies are so delusional they should be locked up in padded cells for their own protection.
Here’s an example of why:
Yup. It does make sense to plow money into alternative energy R&D, even subsidize limited deployment (proof of concepts, low rate trial production) as a hedge against unforseen future contingencies. If there comes a time when we need it right now, the tech and engineering will be ready right now.
AND there’s usually some tech innovations that can be cascaded into other areas to create better efficiencies for the way we’re doing things now. Not to mention the potential for revolutionary breakthroughs that could help eliminate current tech and methods (I’m still holding out for a Mr. Fusion unit that both powers my car and home using household trash).
But it all has to be done under that mentality. Not under the false auspices of “Green Energy” (a wholey owned subsidiary of Crony Capitalism, Inc,)
“tell me where in the world that happens.”
Probably nowhere. Was just suggesting that’s all those types of power are good for.
“Yup. It does make sense to plow money into alternative energy R&D, even subsidize limited deployment (proof of concepts, low rate trial production) as a hedge against unforseen future contingencies. If there comes a time when we need it right now, the tech and engineering will be ready right now.”
That’s not the way it happens. We have many, many generations of oil and gas, not to mention coal and the extraordinary, underutilized power of nuclear, all available to us.
Why in the world would we ever dump money into R&D that is so extremely unlikely to be ever utilized?
Technology is driven by the need, not just the possible need.
Examples abound, such as Sasol’s process to convert coal to liquid form during SA apartheid, or more recently the fraccing revolution which was needed to overcome poor production from very low permeability rock.
It won’t matter that green energy isn’t viable financially .... those like Obama will continue to redistribute the wealth to their cronies by dumping it down the green energy worm hole. The question is ... how to STOP them from continuing to do it. Congress isn’t up to the task, evidently.
I like solzr for powering isolated places like highway signs (or for me, hoglights and feeders).
The diff is these are small, inexpensive installations that are not critical.
No one on earth would think solar or wind is dependable for say power generation of a city, or a desalinization plant. That’s why there is ALWAYS backup generation such as natural gas generators installed.
I THINK Aruba. As there are about 10 large windmills eastern side of the island facing the open ocean/sea and the desalinization plant on the opposite(leeward) side facing South America.
I was there last month. It is always windy on Aruba. Twenty mph winds are fairly constant. It may be the perfect place in the world for wind power. I am told they have the second largest desalinization plant in the world. It is a desert island. Feel free to drink the water though.
Let me clarify, I am not sure if these Aruba windmills are economically viable. I am not sure how much they cost to put up and maintain. However, I just know it is windy there all the time, more so during the day. It might be better than most other spots in the world.
Maintenance could be an issue considering these things are right on the ocean/Caribbean sea. Salt water is not good for any mechanical device.
I fly all over New England in GA planes. NE is covered by feel-good wind turbines that are static displays. Most never move. A few turn sluggishly. But the Libs feel so good about themselves! Except off the Cape, where the Ted Kennedys refuse to have to see the nasty things.
“Maintenance could be an issue considering these things are right on the ocean/Caribbean sea. Salt water is not good for any mechanical device.”
Agree with that. I recall flying into Maui once and reading on its promotional literature about it proudly proclaiming that “10% of its electricity generation power is by wind”.
Sure enough, as I drove to my hotel, there conspicuously on one its dormant volcanoes was a number of large wind towers.
Only problem? only 3 were actually operating. Most were just sitting there rusting away next to the corrosive sea.
Alternate energy or renewable energy always sound so good, except when you try it in practice.
and our country ain’t Aruba.
Why would we do R&D for Aruba?
and BTW, the most natural energy there is anywhere is oil, gas and coal, God’s gifts to this world. Drill a well or dig a bit, and there it is.
It ain’t called NATURAL gas for nothing.
Windmills are for generating one thing only:
liberal self-righteousness
Plus, Aruba is about 25 miles from the Venezuela oil terminal. EVERYDAY we were there you could see 4-5 oil tankers sitting offshore in Aruba waters. Apparently, they anchor in Aruban waters until it is their turn to go fill up at the oil terminal. They will not enter Venezuelan waters until it is their time slot. I was told it was fear of piracy.
So, I do not know why the Aruba government chose to put in a wind farm when one of the largest oil and gas producers is 30 miles away. I guess they had a refinery on the island, but is now closed down.
Just, wow! You cannot have any fun at all around these people. They are sick!
Reminds me of a recent story that having a stable family is an unfair advantage, and maybe the family structure should be disbanded in the name of fairness to those without stable families.
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