The Fallacy of Renewables

Capitalism Magazine ^ | 7 July 2002 | Willie Soon and Sallie Baliunas

[45Auto]

"Most of the proposed renewable energy resources take more energy and resources to produce than they supply."

[Black Agnes]

Renewable resource discussion ping!

[45Auto]

"A subsidy of 4 to 5 cents per kilowatt hour: Is that too much to ask? Do the math: the current average price for electricity in the US ranges from about 4 to 8 cents per kilowatt hour. That means that extensive use of renewables would roughly double the cost of retail electricity, but the price increase would burden taxpayers."

Bingo!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Here in Missouri the farm lobby has succeeded in getting large federal subsidies for ethanol and diesel fuel made from soybeans. As far as I am concerned, farmers are just rural mobsters.

[Flying Circus]

Duh! Its called the second law of Thermodynamics. But then again, liberals always think that they and their ideas are above laws.

[Dog Gone]

A better answer to some of the questions you were raising in another thread.

[45Auto]

The European Energy and Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio urged in a meeting of the EU energy ministers in Pamplona Spain on April 28, 2002, "We need to make an enormous effort to convince the public about the benefits of nuclear energy. We have to choose. If we give up nuclear energy, we will not comply with Kyoto."

The enviro-nuts are completely insane. They want to destroy the economy of the world and have everyone (except themselevs) go back to living in caves. The Kyoto BS cannot be achieved without MORE energy from nuclear plants. Try to sell that one to the idiots at the Sierra Club!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I have to agree. The Iowa Farm Bureau endorsed Tom Harkin for reelection to the senate. Sounds like he's already won the election with your money.

[Grampa Dave]

45, thanks for this excellent and very timely article being posted as a thread.

Herr Davis has just signed a renewable energy bill that will destroy this state: (California adopted the nation's most ambitious renewable-energy goals Thursday, when Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill requiring that 20 percent of utilities' electricity be produced from renewable sources, such as solar, wind and geothermal, by 2017. )

[newgeezer]

Not to mention the first law of thermodynamics. ;-)

[Grampa Dave]

Here is a link to a thread posted by Sierra Wasp showing that the wonderful city of Sacramento, Kali. can't meet its goals of renewable solar power:(SACRAMENTO SHOCKED! PUBLIC SECTOR SOLAR CAN'T REPLACE PRIVATE NUCLEAR OR HYDRO POWER!)

[biblewonk]

"Most of the proposed renewable energy resources take more energy and resources to produce than they supply."

Not true with wind. This is a myth and you will notice that there are no numbers.

[newgeezer]

The Iowa Farm Bureau endorsed Tom Harkin for reelection to the senate.

Yeah, and here I was led to believe his Farm Bill was a bad deal for the typical Iowa farmer. Maybe the FB isn't in touch with the typical Iowa farmer? Because it sure seems as if the best or only reason for the FB to endorse The Dungheap was that he chairs the Senate Ag Cmte.

[45Auto]

Yes, I posted this as an adjunct to your earlier post about the lunatics in the Cal legislature passing that stupid 20% renewables bill. They can't be that stupid, so it means they know that the only way to make it work is to raise taxes.

The cost per unit of energy will double for Californians for that portion of power generated by these "renewable" sources. The criminals in the Cal legislature don't care; they just want to satisfy their vermin/enviro-nut voters, again at the expense of those who actually produce something.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

How is old "Dung Heap" doing these days?

[45Auto]

Its not clear that massive wind farms could produce electricity at competitive costs relative to nuclear. I agree, though, that honest cost comparisions would be nice.

[45Auto]

The credo of the California deonRAT party is :"You CAN get something for nothing" (if you have a taxpayer/slave class to tap indefinitely).

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for finding and posting it.

I have bookmarked for use when this starts to get discussed.

I have viewed the word renewable, when used by rats and watermelons to their code for (It ain't going to happen, but we can snow the sheeple with Renewable)!

[Chairman Fred]

It would take about 0.15 gallons of equivalent energy used to generate 1 gallon of gasoline, while it takes about 1.4 gallons of energy to make every gallon of the popular renewable known as ethanol.

Human beings should not drink (ethanol) and drive. Neither should cars.

[biblewonk]

Its not clear that massive wind farms could produce electricity at competitive costs relative to nuclear. I agree, though, that honest cost comparisions would be nice.

Yes it would be nice. It's hard to find a report without an agenda. Most of what I have been seeing calls nuclear power the most expensive choice other than solar. I think nuclear is irresponsible myself due to the waste half life and the assumption that we will be able to safeguard it for 1000's of years.