Posted on 01/11/2023 9:12:44 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Climate change communists keep talking about electrifying our economy because it is the only way to conceivably get to zero or near zero carbon emissions. Beege wrote a must-read post on this yesterday. Must. Read.
Now I have no problem, in principle, with reducing the carbon footprint of the economy, as long as it can be done with inexpensive, abundant, and reliable power sources that perform the job as well or better than fossil fuels. And that is the promise that is made by the advocates of electrifying our economy.
Perhaps someday that dream can be achieved, but that day is way way off in the future. In the here and now a fossil fuel-free future isn’t even a pipe dream. It’s a nightmare.
Earlier today I wrote about the reasons why the Biden administration is pushing for the elimination of natural gas stoves and the dangers associated with that move, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. The activists pushing for uber-electrification (I won’t call them climate alarmists, because I suspect many of them aren’t actually alarmed, but play-acting for effect) absolutely know that our current and near-future electrical generation and transmission cannot conceivably produce enough power to keep our economy going.
They simply don’t care. Or rather, they care, but the immiseration and impoverishment of millions of Americans is a feature, not a bug of these policies.
In recent months the electrical grid has sagged and even broken under the strain of electrification. Heat pumps in the South drew more power than was available due to cold weather, and of course California is utterly incapable of delivering enough electrical power to its citizens reliably.
As they push for 100% electrification of transportation, they also mandate energy policies that create shortages that will strand people at home, without air conditioning or heat, and of course with the lights out. This is as predictable as a sunrise.
Unsurprisingly, the wealthier will have backup generation and will be able to afford massive battery backups for their own use, but the average person doesn’t have the same resources. And, if they did, the price for such systems would skyrocket due to the lack of enough available minerals to build them.
Minerals that are mined through child labor in countries with little to no environmental protection. Can’t let any mining go on in the US, you know.
In The Telegraph Andrew Orlowsky wrote about how lack of electricity generation capacity could doom the electrification of cars. He pointed to comments made by Toyota president Akio Toyoda, who questioned the wisdom of diving head first into an all-electric future. He also noted the declining reliability of the power grid in the UK, which applies to the US as well.
But the real issue Mr Toyoda has opened up is this: Western societies are charging into the electrification of transport and heating without actually providing the electricity. This cannot be wished away.
In January, the then secretary of state for trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, told Parliament that “we are going to be requiring up to four times as much electricity” to meet demand for electrified heating and transport. Yet we are not building four times as much electric generation capacity.
The energy legacy of the Conservatives will be the loss of reliable energy. For example, only two years ago, the UK was running 15 operational nuclear reactors, but by 2030 it will be just three, and that’s assuming no further delays. The reality is that we have created two parallel energy systems; one of which works, while the other does not. The politicised grid mashes them together, making the one that provides reliable and low cost energy both expensive and unstable.
And then along comes a genuine cold snap which exposes our new reliance on nature, and sub-prime energy technologies. Climate change campaigners who are inclined to view any weather event as a policy message dictated personally by an Earth deity should remember this trick works both ways.
During our recent dunkelflaute – a period of high pressure, freezing temperatures and no wind – our onshore wind blades stood still for three weeks, consuming power, but not generating any. What wind power we got, and it wasn’t very much, all came from offshore facilities.
The problem with Mr. Olowsky’s and Mr. Toyoda’s analysis is that they assume that for policymakers the decline in reliable power and hence the threat to mobility are seen as a pressing problem. So, too, with Secretary Trevelyan. Yet by their actions these policy makers have shown that they are at best indifferent to the problem, and even perhaps welcome it.
I simply don’t believe that the people in power care much about whether the electricity is there to keep our economy going. If they did, they wouldn’t rush headlong into the full electrification of the economy without ensuring that there is electricity to power it. If you are pushing electric cars while closing 4/5ths of your nuclear power plants, ensuring reliability is not a major concern of yours.
—> NY commission approved plan to require all new houses built after 2025 to use electric systems (no natural gas, oil, propane)
—> After 2030, seeks to require homeowners to replace fossil-fuel-burning systems w non-carbon-emitting ones once they give out.
https://t.co/za1q2iOvSm— Joseph Allen (@j_g_allen) January 5, 2023
The forced electrification of cars, in particular, reveals their intentions: if you can’t charge your vehicle, you are utterly reliant on the government-run transit systems. These systems are collapsing due to reduced use by consumers, so the easiest way to get people to use them is ban fossil fuel cars and then restrict charging of electric vehicles, as California has already done at times. And if your mobility relies on regulated transit, the government owns your mobility.
An all-electric economy is an easily controlled economy. The infrastructure is there to control your thermostats, your car charging, your cooking times (if you go electric, as they demand). We have wired our houses to be “smart,” and those smarts don’t reside in your home, but in the cloud.
The surge of heat pump installations is putting us on a path to persistent rolling blackouts in these extreme cold events. The electricity draw is immense when ambient temperatures drop this low.
Other options like geothermal pumps/district heating/passivhaus are needed
https://t.co/8lcTTihAHq— michael ⚛️🏗🚇🚲🚸 (@cornoisseur) December 25, 2022
You are at their mercy.
Does this sound crazy? It should, because it is diabolical. But is it plausible? Of course it is. We already know that power companies can turn your thermostats up and down at will (right now people generally opt-in, but the tech is right there when the power supply runs out). We already know the Left has been at war with air conditioning. That they want “15-minute cities” without private cars.
You will own nothing and like it.
We still trust our lawmakers too much, because 20-30 years ago this sort of thing would have been unthinkable. But as we now live in the “emergency” economy where government has nearly unlimited power over us, a “climate emergency” is on the table.
We need to shift into climate emergency mode. Soon, everyone will desperately wish that we had. Those who think there is no problem or that we are handling it sufficiently are fools.
pic.twitter.com/Q66ll9USiK— Peter Kalmus (@ClimateHuman) January 10, 2023
When there is an “emergency,” governments can do anything they want. We know that because we have been living through it for the past 3 years.
"Without action, climate catastrophe is coming for all of us."
— @antonioguterres is deeply frustrated that global leaders are not taking adequate #ClimateAction or investing sufficient resources to address the life-or-death climate emergency.
https://t.co/wC2Ok1u9s4 #ActNow pic.twitter.com/ndhejTBYQ1— United Nations (@UN) January 10, 2023
Still, is it fair to say that the people in power are indifferent to or even want to see an immiseration of millions of people? That sounds kind of kooky. Who would do that?
Well, look at the history of the 20th century. Lots of leaders have done it, and benefited mightily in the process. Every socialist, fascist, big government ideologue in the world has pushed or achieved policies that immiserate citizens. Hugo Chavez–whom you recall was a favorite of many on the Left–did so and became a billionaire in the process. Daniel Ortega entered power as a communist rebel, but now is super-wealthy.
President Joe Biden, joined by GM CEO Mary Berra, takes the electric Hummer for a spin at GM's Electric Vehicle facility in Detroit, MI.
pic.twitter.com/FinEyJkxOf— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) November 17, 2021
There is a ton of money to be made in failing to solve these problems, and when people begin to solve them in reality they are reviled by the elites. If the problem goes away, the grift ends.
Look at Elon Musk, who now building over a million electric cars a year and ramping up; he is now a hate object on the Left, despite having done more to electrify the economy than anybody. He just has done it well, so Biden literally won’t even acknowledge his company exists.
Instead Biden points to Ford and GM, despite their manifest failures to produce electric cars at scale and with massive subsidies. Succeeding isn’t the point. It is dividing up the spoils and accumulating power.
$GM is green today because of the 20 fully electric vehicles they promised to have available by 2023 they have 2 available for sale & 3 others you have to email for updates. Only off by 75% 🤡🤡#MaryLed
Bolt
Bolt EUV
*Cadillac Lyriq
*GMC Hummer EV Pickup
*GMC Hummer EV
pic.twitter.com/YTXfyhBPuB— Jim Hall (@jhall) January 3, 2023
Look at sales numbers:
Among GM’s electrified vehicles, Bolt EV and Bolt EUV (electrified utility vehicle) sales totaled 16,108 in the fourth quarter, up from 25 vehicles a year ago, while 72 Hummer EV Pickups sold after only 1 sold a year ago and 86 Cadillac LYRIQs sold versus zero last year.
72 Electric Hummers. 86 Cadillacs.
Tesla delivered 405,000 vehicles during the same time period. Yet Biden touts GM, ignores Tesla. Because power. He doesn’t give a whit about anything but increasing his power, as is the same for all the Elite. That’s why nuclear power–the most obvious solution to our electricity woes–is being passed over in favor of solar and wind, which are less abundant and reliable, and need backup (of which there is much too little).
Electrification of the economy is not inherently bad, but doing so without ensuring inexpensive and reliable electricity is. Since the Elite clearly doesn’t care about affordable, abundant, and reliable power with appropriate backup to ensure 100% uptime, then they have a different agenda than they claim.
That agenda is getting more money and control over your life.
Designed to destroy/weaken the Country. We’re at war
They are pushing this so they can ration or even turn off your juice if you are not compliant.
Where is the Giga-Watts of generating capacity needed to electrify everything going to come from when the Eco-weenies won’t let us build coal, oil, gas, or nuclear power plants? Wind and solar can’t do it by themselves.
You mean you can’t just plug stuff in?
“backup”
The backup batteries for heat pumps will be resting on four wheels in your garage.
The backup generating systems for solar and wind are already sitting in a power plant just miles from where most Americans live.
How much $hould the$e backup $y$tem$ get i$ the big que$tion.
Hummer EV?
What could possibly go wrong?
ROTFLOL
There are no electric tractors or combine harvesters and even if they did exist, how could anyone charge them, pay for them and still provide food at a cost anyone could pay?
This is a worldwide communist scam to control us, to reduce our ability to move, to eat, to defend ourselves (good luck fighting a war that has to depend solely on batteries).
Ask yourself - if an "increase Carbon Dioxide" is such a significant issue, why aren't there much greater increases in plant life? Plants breathe Carbon Dioxide. If there was such a disproportionate addition of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere, why aren't prehistoric rain forests overwhelming us?
Right now, as it is still dark out, there is no wind to speak of so those hideous wind bird murderers and solar panels aren’t doing diddly.
The Tesla pickup is a better truck than what now exist. It will not serce every possible need but it will serve those who need it better.
There is whining about electrification.
I have swithced to all battery powered tools. I have done away with cords and most importantly the hell of two cycle engines. My electric tools have 56 volt batteries and are fantastic.
Tesla is starting where the hand tool business is today rather than where it started years ago.
I do not want a Tesla or any other electric vehicle. I merely observe and present the finding that Tesla is disruprive force in the auto market and is killing Ford and GM and VW
Everything they do is designed to eventually give them finger-tip power to deprive us of any and all necessities if we refuse to kneel before them - count on it.
Some day electrical induction is going to be an issue again (living near generation or high transmission), when it’s time to make electricity the public enemy.
We lost it under covid. Trump made sure to finish it off with mail in ballots.. because masking, lockdowns, travel restrictions, big pharma cash for vax, how much covid cash to do nothing, bumpstock ban and Syrian rapefugees were not enough. Our country… granted permanent power to a Marxist group…
Men are not men, babies serving abortion are murdered, obedience to unelected bureaucrats and state administrators is the only truth.
Our most critical institutions have been purged of rational thinkers. Our military, hospitals, are filled with nothing but kneeling, obedient worshippers of Marxism.
the point of promoting evs and banning gas cars
is to get rid of personal transportation for the masses
only the rich and powerful will have personal transportation
for the masses it is
shut up and get on the bus
Climate Change = The Sky Is Falling
Already a problem:
The weight of EV’s was NEVER calculated when building multi level parking structures.
How do you retro-fit such places to handle the WEIGHT of EV’s when parking is full???
Friend told me last night that TIRE wear on EV’s is horrendous-—tire mileage is down severely from the weight.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
