Climate alarmists claim to have all the answers even to highly technical questions concerning the electrical grid despite the fact that their predictions of catastrophic global warming have never happened and there is every reason to believe they never will. Their “answers” to avert this scare disaster are monumentally expensive and useless. One of the many practical problems is that alarmist proposed policies will result in increasingly unstable electrical grids which will have an increasing probability of failure resulting in blackouts. This has already been demonstrated by the results of the early alarmist adopters, such as in South Australia.
The Importance of Preserving the Reliability of the Electrical Grid
The electrical grid is one of the most useful inventions of the modern world. It brings electrical power to each home and business and allows instant access to it for an affordable price to meet a large variety of uses. Yet the alarmists are advocating impairing it in ways that will greatly reduce its usefulness and value.
Those interested in the South Australian horror stories can read about them on JoAnne Nova’s website, starting perhaps with this post. But there are beginning to be serious problems here in the US as the percentage of “renewable” sources continues to increase. Disaster has been averted so far, but only by taking unusual actions that could easily have failed. Yet the “environmentalists,” aided by their mainstream media allies and the left wing of the Democratic Party, continue to push policies that sooner or later will result in electrical grid disasters that will seriously inconvenience if not hurt the general public.
Everyone knows what happens after a major storm: millions of households and businesses are without power for an uncertain period of time. Ordinary life comes to a sudden halt and everyone’s concerns change to when the food in the refrigerator will spoil or when the heat and air conditioning will come back on. That’s how important the electrical grid has become, yet the climate alarmists are forever advocating policies that further endanger it. They make the dubious claim that this will avoid increases in carbon dioxide levels. Such increases have little or nothing to do with human activities and everything to do with preserving and improving the environment.
An importamt current example is provided by the increasing shortage of resilient electrical sources in the Northeastern states of the US. Particularly in this area increasing numbers of coal-fired and nuclear power plants are being “retired” even though there is no technical reason to do so. This is being encouraged by the blue New England state governments and the utilities, which are finding them increasingly uneconomic to operate because of heavily subsidized wind sources.
The Potential for Disaster as “Environmental” Requirements Are Increased on the Grid
But what too few people are asking is what happens during major adverse weather events such as the Northeast experienced this past winter. The current trend is to increasingly rely on natural gas-fired power plants and reducing coal and nuclear sources. But what if there are not sufficient supplies of natural gas to make this possible in particular areas, primarily because the states involved will not approve added pipelines to bring increased supplies of natural gas to the plants? Coal and nuclear plants have their fuel “stored” on site, but this is much more difficult for natural gas plants. In the recent winter this was solved at times by buying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and using fuel oil, but what if these do not happen to be available at the times and places needed? Or what if Russia decides to hold the US for ransom for critically needed supplies?
This is just one example of the increasing problems facing the US electrical grid. It is becoming increasingly obvious that it will take a major disaster in which many innocent people are seriously inconvenienced or even die before the nonsense promoted by the climate alarmists and their allies concerning the increasing use of “renewable” sources of energy is exposed for what it is–nonsense. And the alarmists are likely to try to blame someone else for the future failings of their policies, just as they have in South Australia. I regret that such a disaster will apparently be needed to bring people to their senses, but that seems to be reality. The likely disasters are most likely to be caused by the “environmentalists” and their allies, not by alleged increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels caused by human activities.
I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the
nail on the head. The issue is something that too few folks are speaking
intelligently about. I’m very happy I found this during my search for something concerning this.
The CIC and Fake News media have been doing their moronic dingbat best to attack Adminitrator Pruitt.
Scott is our Hero!
As is Doc. And Steven Milloy.
Semper Fideles!
The bad guys will Fail because Boss has their back.
Great work by Pruitt to reconsider the fantasy mileage goals of Obama. It looks to be a winning plot for the midterm elections. Hoardes of illegals marching toward the border, Governor Moonbeam pardoning criminals and trying to foist surreal mileage requirements on cars, while the Tesla hot air balloon has sprung leaks. A thoughtful judge shredded a wacko climate lawsuit by San Francisco and Oakland.
Lots of good stuff going on.
For real news about climate, this is a great web site. Stay tuned folks!
The generation of electricity and its distribution via the grid are highly regulated. Local monopolies have long been a feature.
This economic landscape could give incumbents a reason to welcome air emission controls plus mandates for boutique technologies like windmills and solar. They can pass higher costs on to rate payers by charging higher rates. They either get a higher ROI or just lots more income at the same ROI.
Money could help explain some of the otherwise mystifying nonsense?
The CIC agenda may collaterally enrich electric utilities still further, With only consumers being the economic losers from higher prices. The CIC agenda may serve not only liberal politicians but may even serve utility firms too. This could help explain why a third of republicans are still in favor of epic nonsense and claptrap. ???
Thanks for yet another wonderful essay, just in time for Palm Sunday, Easter and Passover, Doctor Carlin.
I read about one third of Republicans still accept the global warming nonsense. Your great essays serve to teach those with persuadable minds there are smarter outlooks.
Some good news is the trend among Republicans is positive. More and more republicans are coming around to realize that Al Gore is a hoodwinker. The Fake News Media is ever more recognized as shamelessly corrupt.
The more Republicans come to realize how nonsensical the nonsense is, the better the outlook for the electrical grid.
I am no Pollyanna, but will argue a more optimistic case.
It is reported Administratir Pruitt will provide relief from future mileage requirements for automobiles. Great. It is best for consumers and private companies to figure out vehicles and keep politicians and eco activists at bay.
Meanwhile the Tesla stock bubble looks to be imploding and reasonably so.
The general problem is widespread political meddling in energy markets, from mandating turning corn into price subsidized ethanol to billions for Musk to absurd mileage goals for vehicles to requiring utilities to invest in unreliable wind energy and socking it to rate payers.
Just as Pruitt pulled out of the Paris accord insanity, he can retract future mileage requirements. Competitive markets will tend toward sensible outcomes, if left alone by meddling politicians.
Just as Rome was not built in a day, unwinding all the nonsense cannot happen as quick as we would like. Change is always incremental.
If the President continues to govern wisely, he will be reelected and continue to effect economic relief for the private sector.