The Appalling Delusion of 100 Percent Renewables, Exposed

[rangerrebew]

The Appalling Delusion of 100 Percent Renewables, Exposed

by Robert Bryce June 24, 2017 4:00 AM


The National Academy of Science refutes Mark Jacobson’s dream that our economy can run exclusively on ‘green’ energy.. The idea that the U.S. economy can be run solely with renewable energy — a claim that leftist politicians, environmentalists, and climate activists have endlessly promoted — has always been a fool’s errand. And on Monday, the National Academy of Sciences published a blockbuster paper by an all-star group of American scientists that says exactly that.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448846/renewable-energy-national-academy-sciences-christopher-t-m-clack-refutes-mark-jacobson

[Joe Wooten]

Those of us who know how the grid operates have been saying that for decades.

[Bigun]

Not news to anyone who knows anything at all about the subject.

[Just_Victor]

Not news to anyone who knows anything at all about the subject.

You don't have to know crap about the subject.  The only requirement is a knowledge of basic arithmetic.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

We certainly don't need to make decisions on renewables based upon the merits of a piece of paper.

Instead, look at places like Spain which dreamed and actually spent the money to become renewable, only to dramatically increase debt and unemployment.

Spain no longer dreams like that, but sees the reality of this world we live in.

[Free Vulcan]

To show you how sad the enviro delusion is - the DM Register crowed awhile back that Iowa was now getting 15% of it's electricity from wind. Keep in mind Iowa has 3.2M people, and a fair amount but not an abundance of heavy industry. The stupid damn things take up most of the northern part of the state and I despise looking at them every time I drive there, and they aren't even profitable without govt subsidy.

Now apply that to say the Chicagoland area which as three times the population and much more heavy industry with a gargantuan electrical usage. You'd have to have windmills cover 4 or 5 of the surrounding states just to dent that.

It's about as realistic as rainbow and unicorn power.

[bigheadfred]

What is appalling is the disuse and denial of hydroelectric. Pretty clean energy source. There are hundreds of existing dams in the U.S. that have no hydroelectric facility but could be converted over without endangering a damned thing. Except the billions being bilked over the greenie climate change scam.

[Joe Wooten]

What is appalling is the disuse and denial of hydroelectric. Pretty clean energy source. There are hundreds of existing dams in the U.S. that have no hydroelectric facility but could be converted over without endangering a damned thing. Except the billions being bilked over the greenie climate change scam.

The trouble with that is that most of those dams have either low flows or low head, and sometimes both, The output of the turbines to generate power with them would not cover the cost of installation without massive government construction subsidies.

[bigheadfred]

The trouble with that is that most of those dams have either low flows or low head, and sometimes both, The output of the turbines to generate power with them would not cover the cost of installation without massive government construction subsidies.

As opposed to other great ideas like Solyndra? Or the big picture of obama's $80 billion clean energy program?

[Joe Wooten]

As opposed to other great ideas like Solyndra? Or the big picture of obama's $80 billion clean energy program?

If it requires a subsidy of any kind, it ain't worth it.

[bigheadfred]

If it requires a subsidy of any kind, it ain't worth it.

One of the things about hydro these days is private money is used for feasibility studies, environmental studies, yada yada. Private companies have to invest quite a bit of money that can be wasted with a stroke of a bureaucrat's pen. To tell you the truth I have an old retired engineer friend who did some consultation work on hydro projects--small ones and he related a lot of information to me on the problems facing hydro development and/or retrofitting. A lot of the problem(s) is from bureaucratic BS.

We used to get a kickback on our power bill from the Bonneville Power Administration, sometimes 30% off, until everything got nationalized. Maybe, probably, yes, I am still ticked about that.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

One of the things about hydro these days is private money is used for feasibility studies, environmental studies, yada yada. Private companies have to invest quite a bit of money that can be wasted with a stroke of a bureaucrat's pen. To tell you the truth I have an old retired engineer friend who did some consultation work on hydro projects--small ones and he related a lot of information to me on the problems facing hydro development and/or retrofitting. A lot of the problem(s) is from bureaucratic BS.

You can say the same thing about nuclear.

[thackney]

If it requires a subsidy of any kind, it ain't worth it.

+1