If nine-tenths of whatever “is just showing up,” this hackneyed turn of phrase has a problem when it comes to so-called green energy alternatives. They are not green, and when you need them most (extreme heat or cold), they are most likely to fail.
Cold weather kills wind and solar in equal measure – adding to the problem of limited sunlight half the year and weak sunlight at that. Heat is also a problem, especially if you rely on wind turbines.
The article, “Low wind could hamper wind turbine production in Texas,” explains that the coming hot summer days in Texas will likely be a problem for electricity generation, as “energy experts say the state’s wind turbines may not produce as much power because of low wind forecasts. “
Heat domes and heat waves in general are known for causing a drop in wind speeds, and the same thing happened last year in Texas under similar weather conditions, during which wind turbines dropped to operating at just 8 percent of capacity.
The expert CBS interviewed for the post, Dr. Todd Griffith of the Wind Energy Center at UT Dallas admitted that when the wind doesn’t blow, “we need to compensate for that with these other sources…namely, natural gas and coal sources and nuclear.”
Shouldn’t the goal be abundant, affordable energy first? Modern living, prosperity, opportunity, quality of life, and all that for our posterity business is impossible without it. Wind and solar cost a lot in carbon and cash to make and mount but consistently fail to produce.
I recently had a friend ask about putting solar on her roof. I explained how it was not exactly green, but if she was willing to pay for it, she should do the math and ask questions.
- Is it yours, or are you leasing your roof and getting a piece of the power generated (in which case, there may be a 20-30 year lien on your property)? You might not be able to sell without paying off the lien.
- How much would it save you a year in electricity (bottom number) divided by the upfront cost to determine the years needed to recover the investment, if ever?
- Does the solar company include recycling at the end of life, and are they honest about when that is and how much of that cost is built into your purchase price? Most don’t, but they should if they insist this is green. Dead solar ends up in landfills, leaching toxins into soil and groundwater.
- What is the real impact of an aging solar installation on resale value?
It may not be a good investment, but I’m not here to stop you if you want to waste your money. I am, however, inclined to remind everyone of the issues and the desperate need for reliable energy solutions that make sense.
Fact: We can never end our dependence on fossil fuels. You can’t make steel without coal. Oil and natural gas will be with us for a while, with NG being a very effective energy source (heat and electricity) with low emissions (if you care about that). Much of the transportation and construction business will require motor fuels to operate. Synthetics are great, but oil has many uses, including as a component of thousands of materials (synthetics, plastics, etc.) whose replacements have much higher carbon footprints.
Nuclear needs to be made more affordable as it literally gives the greens what they claim to want the most. Energy without emissions. Without a blend of these solutions, there is no future, net zero or otherwise.
Lowering pollution is a worthwhile endeavor. Pretending CO2 is pollution is not just a lie. It is a dangerous one, and the path we are on is treacherous. A plan we’ve often suggested seems deliberate.
The goal is not to reduce emissions. It is to reduce the population, which is why the Climate Cult is so unwilling to discuss other options.
To quote a phrase that is itself getting a bit hackneyed, you are the carbon they want to reduce.
