Image: Creative Commons under UnsplashTo understand why wind and solar power, even with battery backup, will not be sufficient in the near future to supply the electric power needs of any modern industrial economy, much less an economy the size of the United States, one must first understand how the electric power system works.Note: I’m not talking about costs. Although the media regularly reports demonstrably false claims that wind and solar power are cheaper than traditional power sources such … [Read more...]
Using Science To Further Government Objectives
“Scientists Discover Strong Correlation Between Trusting Government And Eating Paint Chips” read a recent headline in The Babylon Bee. The article went on to report that “trust in government also ranked high among gasoline sniffers, toad lickers, and oven cleaner huffers.”Although the article is ostensibly satirical, trusting government does seem a mite flaky these days, especially when combined with a trust in mainstream media reporting on science in the service of government.Image: Creative … [Read more...]
There Is No Green “Energy Transition”
The reason for the growth in humanity from 1 to 8 billion in 200 years is simple: fossil fuels are abundant, cheap, and efficient, so they provide reliable and dense energy at scale that can be manufactured into usable products by humanity. Renewables, on the other hand, cannot manufacture anything for humanity. Fossil fuels have helped to generate a quality-of-life revolution for a portion of humanity, and people in poverty who have missed out on this … [Read more...]
China, Russia, Oil, Gas, Coal, and Climate
The relationship between China and Russia poses the greatest danger faced by America and the West since the Hitler-Stalin Pact in 1939 initiated WWII. If alarm bells are not ringing all across Washington, DC, they should be. China was already a global power based on its expanding economy, modernizing military and diplomatic reach, but the burgeoning relations with Moscow provide Beijing with renewed energy, literally and figuratively.What does that mean for the rest of the world?The … [Read more...]
Greens Refuse to Discuss Recycling of Renewables and Restoration of Mining Locations to Pristine Conditions
The reality is that all the mineral products and metals needed to make wind turbines, solar panels, and EV batteries are mined and processed in places like Baotou, Inner Mongolia, Bolivia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly under Chinese control. Decommissioning and restoration of those mining landscapes back to their original pristine condition is not in the cards in developing countries. Recycling of worn-out turbine blades, solar panels, and EV batteries in wealthy … [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 UnsplashAccording 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 percent … [Read more...]
Industry-Intensive Vietnam to Increase Fossil Fuel Consumption
Vietnam of the 21st century is completely different from the war-ravaged country of the last century. An industrial hub, Vietnam now is a major exporter of finished goods and has cities that are thriving with economic activities.The major reason for the economic transformation is the country’s energy sector. However, this is now threatened by international climate policies that seek to transition the country’s affordable and dependable power sector into an unstable and expensive one.At a … [Read more...]
Australia’s Great Coral Reef Is Alive and Well. Why Hide That Fact?
(This file has been updated.) Peter Ridd, who examined current data about Australia’s Great Coral Reef, demolishes fears that the reef is sick or dying. He asks why the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) is obscuring that fact by failing to aggregate the data.Image: Creative Commons under UnsplashHowever, perhaps recognizing that Ridd (a controversial figure) was studying the reef, AIMS has just announced that two-thirds of the reef has the most coral cover it has since recording … [Read more...]
FERC Considers Constraining Renewables
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC, rhymes with jerk) is taking comments on a proposed order that might actually constrain the destructive impact of renewables on America’s grid.FERC would order the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC, also rhymes with jerk) to do something about the growing adverse impact of renewables. NERC is a private corporation endowed with federal authority to keep America’s lights on. NERC makes and enforces the regulations governing grid … [Read more...]
The False Promise of Electric Cars
The following is a guest article by Andrew Stuttaford."The more the state ‘plans,’” wrote Hayek, “the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.” This may resonate with the driver of an electric vehicle (EV) who has pulled up at a charging station in the middle of nowhere, only to find it broken.In January last year, Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis, the world’s fifth-largest carmaker (it was formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot), described electrification as “a … [Read more...]
