Note that the entire debate raging about renewable energy centres around the production and use of electricity – no other “energy” source is in the “Overton Window” – not even chicken pellets as a source of energy – only electricity as the “energy” for heating, lighting and transportation etc.
Already 20 years ago Germany had to pay metal refiners to run arc furnaces on windy days. The nuclear and coal can’t change output fast enough. So if you turn those down when it’s windy then later when the wind dies down you have a shortage as you wait to ramp up. The arc furnaces ate electrodes at a high rate. Very costly.
In the early 2000's I worked in state legislative public policy. For a more conservative market-oriented approach pushing back on the fanciful extreme policies of the radical command economy types. I became familiar with RPS and other industry terms at the time. We cautioned that very aggressive standards being pushed would be impossible to implement on the time tables being demanded, and would be prohibitively expensive.
The extreme enviro's would have none of it. They believed that if they ordered it then it would be so. And talk of high costs were dismissed, would come out of the "excessive profits" energy providers were making.
We were right. They've not hit their own standards. And energy costs have gone through the roof. But instead of denying the cost, saying the energy providers are greedy now they say it's necessary, and that consumers themselves are greedy, need to cut back.
This model applies to ALL progressive anti-market solutions across the entire economy. Ignore the costs, blame the greedy corporations for as long as they can, when forced to admit the excessive costs and failures to achieve outcomes assert it's worth it, and the public must make sacrifices, not the corporations.
Well the proof is in the pudding as it is said. New Mexico is shutting down it's coal fired generation one after another. Haven't seen backup battery capacity. But perhaps that is why they are pushing homeowners battery banks with smart meter switching?
Already 20 years ago Germany had to pay metal refiners to run arc furnaces on windy days. The nuclear and coal can’t change output fast enough. So if you turn those down when it’s windy then later when the wind dies down you have a shortage as you wait to ramp up. The arc furnaces ate electrodes at a high rate. Very costly.
Renewable Portfolio Standards.
https://www.ncsl.org/energy/state-renewable-portfolio-standards-and-goals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_portfolio_standard#United_States
In the early 2000's I worked in state legislative public policy. For a more conservative market-oriented approach pushing back on the fanciful extreme policies of the radical command economy types. I became familiar with RPS and other industry terms at the time. We cautioned that very aggressive standards being pushed would be impossible to implement on the time tables being demanded, and would be prohibitively expensive.
The extreme enviro's would have none of it. They believed that if they ordered it then it would be so. And talk of high costs were dismissed, would come out of the "excessive profits" energy providers were making.
We were right. They've not hit their own standards. And energy costs have gone through the roof. But instead of denying the cost, saying the energy providers are greedy now they say it's necessary, and that consumers themselves are greedy, need to cut back.
This model applies to ALL progressive anti-market solutions across the entire economy. Ignore the costs, blame the greedy corporations for as long as they can, when forced to admit the excessive costs and failures to achieve outcomes assert it's worth it, and the public must make sacrifices, not the corporations.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Well the proof is in the pudding as it is said. New Mexico is shutting down it's coal fired generation one after another. Haven't seen backup battery capacity. But perhaps that is why they are pushing homeowners battery banks with smart meter switching?