Renewable Energy
Blackouts
Same Old Story With Renewable Energy
In its foolish rush to close every natural gas power plant in the state, officials forgot something: Californians still need power. Consequently, the AES generating station in Redondo Beach, which had been headed for the power plant equivalent of the glue factory, will remain open through 2023. “With California struggling ...
Blog
California Promotes Wind Energy, Ignores Market Forces
Windmills on the water. Get ready for them. They’re on their way, thanks to a recently signed bill. The new law requires the state’s Energy Commission “to evaluate and quantify the maximum feasible capacity of” offshore wind energy in federal waters, which “if developed and deployed at scale … can ...
Blackouts
Competitive Energy Markets, Not Monopoly, Delivers Affordable, Reliable, And Low-Emission Energy
Texas’ energy debacle during this past winter has led to a great deal of introspection regarding which energy market structure is the most appropriate. Most analysts would agree that energy market regulations should facilitate access to affordable and reliable electricity, while generating the lowest feasible emissions. The controversy arises with ...
Blog
Been There, Done That on Unaffordable Energy Mandates
The Biden Administration wants to impose a national version of California’s unrealistic and unaffordable renewable energy mandates. California Has “Been There, Done That” California has established the nation’s most aggressive renewable portfolio goal, which was just recently increased in 2018, with a goal of generating 100 percent of its electricity ...
Blackouts
California’s Big Battery Bet
Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts ...
California
Green Jobs Demonstrate The Perils Of Government-Directed Economic Growth
Part of President Biden’s Build Back Better initiative promises to “create good-paying union jobs and train Americans for jobs of the future.” The unspoken theory behind this initiative is that green jobs will offer a pay premium to workers compared to jobs in the fossil fuel industry. It also reflects the Administration’s ...
Blog
California’s Tomorrowland Of Energy Won’t Be Arriving On Time
California’s mandate to transition to an all-renewables electricity portfolio has always seemed like a fantasy. A just-released report “charting” the path to 100% clean power does nothing but confirm those suspicions. A joint summary released March 15 by the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California ...
Blackouts
Power Outages: California, Texas, next the U.S?
California was the object of ridicule last year when residents experienced widespread power outages due to high temperatures and wildfires. Now, during an historic cold spell, Texas is under fire for an energy infrastructure that left much of the state without power. The finger pointing will go on for months ...
Climate Change
President Biden Should Not Adopt California’s Approach To The Environment
Whether it is canceling the Keystone XL pipeline or obstructing new permits for oil and gas projects on federal lands, President Biden appears to be adopting California’s approach to addressing the problem of global climate change. If fully adopted, there will be large economic consequences with little net environmental benefit. ...
Blog
Biden’s New EPA Chief Should Heed the Lessons from His Home State
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Michael Regan to lead the EPA. Regan worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for years, and has been North Carolina’s environmental chief since 2018. As North Carolina’s top environmentalist, Regan has opposed constructing natural gas infrastructure, claiming North Carolina’s clean energy future is not ...
Same Old Story With Renewable Energy
In its foolish rush to close every natural gas power plant in the state, officials forgot something: Californians still need power. Consequently, the AES generating station in Redondo Beach, which had been headed for the power plant equivalent of the glue factory, will remain open through 2023. “With California struggling ...
California Promotes Wind Energy, Ignores Market Forces
Windmills on the water. Get ready for them. They’re on their way, thanks to a recently signed bill. The new law requires the state’s Energy Commission “to evaluate and quantify the maximum feasible capacity of” offshore wind energy in federal waters, which “if developed and deployed at scale … can ...
Competitive Energy Markets, Not Monopoly, Delivers Affordable, Reliable, And Low-Emission Energy
Texas’ energy debacle during this past winter has led to a great deal of introspection regarding which energy market structure is the most appropriate. Most analysts would agree that energy market regulations should facilitate access to affordable and reliable electricity, while generating the lowest feasible emissions. The controversy arises with ...
Been There, Done That on Unaffordable Energy Mandates
The Biden Administration wants to impose a national version of California’s unrealistic and unaffordable renewable energy mandates. California Has “Been There, Done That” California has established the nation’s most aggressive renewable portfolio goal, which was just recently increased in 2018, with a goal of generating 100 percent of its electricity ...
California’s Big Battery Bet
Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts ...
Green Jobs Demonstrate The Perils Of Government-Directed Economic Growth
Part of President Biden’s Build Back Better initiative promises to “create good-paying union jobs and train Americans for jobs of the future.” The unspoken theory behind this initiative is that green jobs will offer a pay premium to workers compared to jobs in the fossil fuel industry. It also reflects the Administration’s ...
California’s Tomorrowland Of Energy Won’t Be Arriving On Time
California’s mandate to transition to an all-renewables electricity portfolio has always seemed like a fantasy. A just-released report “charting” the path to 100% clean power does nothing but confirm those suspicions. A joint summary released March 15 by the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California ...
Power Outages: California, Texas, next the U.S?
California was the object of ridicule last year when residents experienced widespread power outages due to high temperatures and wildfires. Now, during an historic cold spell, Texas is under fire for an energy infrastructure that left much of the state without power. The finger pointing will go on for months ...
President Biden Should Not Adopt California’s Approach To The Environment
Whether it is canceling the Keystone XL pipeline or obstructing new permits for oil and gas projects on federal lands, President Biden appears to be adopting California’s approach to addressing the problem of global climate change. If fully adopted, there will be large economic consequences with little net environmental benefit. ...
Biden’s New EPA Chief Should Heed the Lessons from His Home State
President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Michael Regan to lead the EPA. Regan worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for years, and has been North Carolina’s environmental chief since 2018. As North Carolina’s top environmentalist, Regan has opposed constructing natural gas infrastructure, claiming North Carolina’s clean energy future is not ...
