World leaders tout “green hydrogen” as an essential fuel in the renewable energy transition. Today, heavy industries use huge amounts of coal and natural gas to produce products needed by society. Governments propose to replace hydrocarbon fuels with hydrogen fuel, using hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies. But vast subsidies won’t be enough to overcome the insurmountable problems with green hydrogen fuel. Four big industries—ammonia, cement, plastics, and steel—are powered by … [Read more...]
New Book—Green Breakdown: The Coming Renewable Energy Failure
Do you think that wind, solar, and batteries can replace the hydrocarbon fuels that power our modern industrialized society? A new book, Green Breakdown, shows why the Net Zero agenda—a forced transition to renewable energy—is costly, dangerous, and destined for failure. Using science, economics, and in-depth analysis, the book exposes the weaknesses in the planned green energy transition and predicts a coming renewable energy failure. Green Breakdown is a complete discussion of all facets of … [Read more...]
The Great Wind and Solar Land Grab
Which is more environmentally friendly, an energy source that uses one unit of land to produce one unit of electricity or a source that uses 100 units of land to produce one unit of electricity? The answer should be obvious. Nevertheless, green energy advocates call for a huge expansion of wind, solar, and other renewables that use vast amounts of land to replace traditional power plants that use comparatively small amounts of land. Vaclav Smil, professor emeritus of the University of … [Read more...]
Surging New England Energy Prices: No Surprise
New England home heating and electricity prices are on the rise with no end in sight. Consumers paid record-high energy bills last winter, even though the winter was not unusually cold. Shortages of natural gas and green energy policies will drive New England prices higher and raise the chance of electricity blackouts. Residential energy bills in New England this year were the highest in history. The combination of electricity and natural gas heating bills exceeded $1,000 per month for … [Read more...]
The Practical Impossibility of Large-Scale Carbon Capture and Storage
The Environmental Protection Agency is working on a new rule that would set stringent limits on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from US power plants. Utilities would be required to retrofit existing plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology or to switch to hydrogen fuel. Others call for the use of CCS to decarbonize heavy industry. But the cost of capture and the amount of CO2 that proponents say needs to be captured crush any ideas about feasibility. Carbon capture and storage … [Read more...]
Those Attacks on Gas Stoves Aren’t Really about Health
Image: Creative Commons under Unsplash Earlier this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced that indoor gas stoves emitted harmful pollution. Several studies claim that the use of gas can cause respiratory illness. The CPSC is considering restrictions on gas stoves, including possible bans in new residential construction. But attacks on gas stoves are based on questionable science and are largely driven by concerns not related to health. The CPSC has reportedly been … [Read more...]
Get Ready for Higher Electricity Bills to Fund Vehicle Charging
Charging at home is a favored feature of electric vehicles (EVs). But public charging stations are needed for long trips and to maximize EV market penetration. However, it’s unlikely that charging fees can cover the capital and operating costs of public chargers or make money for investors. Image: Creative Commons under Unsplash According to Kelly Blue Book, Americans purchased more than 800,000 new electric cars last year, or about 5.8 percent of all new cars sold. EV sales grew by 65 … [Read more...]
California: Atmospheric River and Misguided Climate Fear
For more than three weeks earlier this year, California was pummeled by a series of storms arriving one after another from the Pacific Ocean. Torrential rains, mudslides, power outages, and floods plague state residents from north of San Francisco down to Los Angeles, four hundred miles to the south. Scientists attribute this event to an “atmospheric river” condition in the Pacific Ocean. Many also claim that this phenomenon is due to human-caused climate change. According to the National … [Read more...]
The Silly Notion of “Speed Limits for Ships”
Originally published in TheT&D. Occasionally a report appears which claims to be wisdom, but after careful analysis, offers solutions that don’t make much sense. Such a report was issued earlier this month by United Kingdom consulting firm GL Reynolds, titled “The multi-issue mitigation potential of reducing ship speeds.” The report proposes that we can reduce global warming by imposing speed limits on ocean-going ships. The GL Reynolds report concludes that a 10-20 percent reduction … [Read more...]
Electrify Everything’ Policies Would Eliminate Gas Heating and Cooking
Originally published in TheInvadingSea. Natural gas and propane serve as excellent low-cost fuels for heating and cooking. Last year, natural gas usage grew faster than renewables in the United States. But advocates of green energy policies would eliminate gas for heating and cooking. According to the US Department of Energy, since 2007, US consumption of natural gas increased by 31 percent, rising from 23 to 30 percent of US primary energy consumption. Gas displaced coal as the preferred … [Read more...]
