- Wind . . . solar . . . corn based ethanol
industrycorporate welfare - Green cars not so green
After an expose of Germany’s huge green energy boondoggle and the failure of the political class to come to grips with it we find certain lessons applicable here as well. In particular that wind and solar subsidies are unsustainable, causing adverse economic fallout to the energy sector as a whole; wind and solar have no serious usefulness beyond unessential cottage applications; and they generally drive energy costs up, not down.
Excerpts from our friends at NetRightDaily. Written by Marita Noon:
Germany’s ‘energy transformation,’ unsustainable subsidies and an unstable system
Hopefully, by now, most people—especially my readers—understand that the intermittent and unreliable nature of wind and solar energy means that in order for us to have the lights go on every time we flip the switch (stability) every kilowatt of electric capacity must be backed up for times when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. But, what most of us don’t think about, that the report spotlights, is that because the favored renewables benefit from “priority dispatch”—which means that if a renewable source is generating power, the utility company must buy and use it rather than the coal, natural gas or nuclear power it has available—the traditional power plants operate inefficiently and uneconomically. “Baseload thermal plants were designed to operate on a continuous base. …they were built to operate at their highest efficiencies when running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” Now, due to renewables, these plants operate only a fraction of the time—though the cost to build and maintain them is constant. “The effect of fewer operational hours needs to be compensated by higher prices in these hours.”
Prior to the large integration of renewables, power plants earned the most when demand is high—in the middle of the day (which is also when the most solar power is generated). The result impacts cost recovery. “There are fewer hours in which the conventional power plants earn more than the marginal cost since they run fewer hours than originally planned and, in many cases, provide back-up power only.”
This translates into financial difficulties for the utilities that have resulted in lower stock prices and credit ratings. (Note: utility stocks often make up a large share of retirement portfolios.) Many plants are closed prematurely—which means the initial investment has not been recovered.
Because the reduced use prevents the power plants from covering their full costs—yet they must be available 24/7, power station operators in Germany are now seeking subsidies in the form of “capacity payments.” The report explains that a plant threatened to close because of “economic problems.” However, due to its importance in “maintaining system stability” the plant was “kept online per decree” and the operator’s fixed costs are compensated.
And you Eastern liberal establishment nincompoops that were going to demonstrate your green commitment by buying a Tesla or Prius, well you now rate the opprobrium of true greenies, the ones that walk to work.
The Wall Street Journal and Asian Age reporting on a National Academy of Sciences study on the emissions chain and manufacturing pollution for electric cars. Electric cars harm the environment more than comparable gas engined vehicles.
Wall Street Journal video presentation Asian Age article.
Back in 2012 The Guardian reported similar findings from Europe.
R Mall
