Wind and solar industry lobbyists are appealing to conservatives in a last-ditch effort to promote wind and solar power as a reliable energy source.
Wind and solar industry lobbyists are appealing to conservatives in a last-ditch effort to promote wind and solar power as a reliable energy source. They are rallying around the slogan, “all of the above”. By that, they mean that we should avail ourselves of all sources of electricity. The Western Way, a non-profit that seeks pro-market solutions to energy and environmental challenges, issued a recent report touting the reliability of power grids with a wide range of energy sources. It concludes with the following passage:
This whitepaper has sought to clear up this confusion. Phasing out tax subsidies for certain energy sources at the federal level does not mean phasing out the energy sources themselves at the local, state and regional level.
Make no mistake: The U.S. needs every economically viable energy source to maintain a stable power grid, win the global AI race and restore the nation’s manufacturing might. Not only that, but all those different energy sources will also need to work together as efficiently as possible, and therefore solutions will look different from state to state and region to region based on their unique circumstances.
In fact, relying too much on a small number of sources only increases the likelihood of grid failures, especially during unexpected events like equipment failures or severe weather. For grid operators, the risk of blackouts is much lower when they have more options in the generation stack – not fewer options – to choose from.
The author is incorrect in stating that “… the risk of blackouts is much lower when they have more options in the generation stack – not fewer options – to choose from.” As I discussed in a recent article entitled, “Not all gigawatts are the same”, intermittent power sources (wind and solar) do not come with the same level of reliability as firm power sources (coal, gas, oil, nuclear). Intermittent sources add nothing to the reliability of a grid. For a grid to be reliable, firm capacity must exceed peak demand.
The only role that intermittent sources play is to reduce fuel usage, but that comes at a price, and it’s not one that I would call economically viable. Depending on the region, operators are paying between 1.5 to 2.8 times more in terms of USD/kWh (see table below). My calculations are here.
Image created by author
I assume that the author wishes to preserve remaining state mandates for renewable energy as federal tax subsidies get phased out, and he hopes to achieve it by muddying the waters. To that end, he might have success. Many conservative politicians in western states are beholden to the wind and solar power industry that provides livelihoods to their constituents. One need only look back at the past economic folly with ethanol mandates that have enriched farmers in the Midwest for almost five decades. Ronald Reagan summed it up best when he said, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”
Image generated by ChatGPT.
