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Posts from October 2018

Renewables Lose To Natural Gas In Power Market

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#a_brooks">Allen Brooks</a> -- October 31, 2018

“The significance of these two maps, especially the one utilizing current natural gas prices, is that natural gas wins in the battle to be the cheapest source of electricity in almost every region where solar and wind power are being forced into the grid via government mandates and/or subsidies.”

“A truly competitive playing field for power fuels would leave renewables with a much smaller national footprint.  That might be an outcome utility customers would welcome.”

A recently updated analysis by the Energy Institute of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) shows natural gas combined cycle, wind and residential solar photovoltaic technologies to be the least-expensive ways to generate electricity across much of the United States.  The interactive model uses a range of power generating technologies and ranks them based on their levelized cost of electricity (LCOE).…

Citizen Martis Draws Ire from Big Green (countering wind power shoestring by shoestring)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 30, 2018

“Despite his folky style and positioning to the contrary, [Kevin] Martis is a highly polished, fossil fuel operative with aggressive tactics. The taxpayers of Seneca County and all of Ohio deserve a more honest broker than Kevon Martis.”

– Scott Peterson, Checks and Balances Project, October 25, 2018.

“When is an environmentalist not an environmentalist? … When it comes to wind power.

– an eco-joke

In “Coal-Backed Anti-Wind Guru Barrels into Ohio’s Seneca County to Attack Wind Energy,” Scott Peterson, executive director of Checks and Balances Project, “an investigative blog that seeks to hold government officials, lobbyists and corporate management accountable to the public,” goes after one regular citizen, Kevon Martis.

Citizen Martis is very well respected here at MasterResource, as evidenced by these posts:

And recall his 2013 post “Dear Michigan: Why Wind?

100 Percent Renewables—Poor Policy for Ratepayers

By Steve Goreham -- October 29, 2018

“Cities and states pursuing 100 percent renewable electricity lay the foundation for a future painful lesson. Households and businesses will experience the shock of rapidly rising electricity prices as more renewables are added to the system.”

Two states and more than 80 cities and counties have now announced a goal of receiving 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. Wind, solar, and biofuels are proposed to replace electricity from coal, natural gas, and nuclear power plants. But evidence is mounting that 100 percent renewables is poor policy for US households and businesses.

More than 80 cities announced commitments to get 100 percent of their energy from renewable sources. Minneapolis committed to attaining 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, Salt Lake City by 2032, and St. Louis by 2035. Nine counties and two states, California and Hawaii, have also made 100 percent renewable pledges.…

Robert Francis O’Rourke on Energy (Eco-Beto is keep-it-in-the-ground)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 26, 2018

The Harm from Bad Science (Part III: Climate Change)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#p_dreissen">Paul Driessen</a> -- October 25, 2018

The Harm from Bad Science (Part II: PM 2.5, Mercury, and Beyond)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#p_dreissen">Paul Driessen</a> -- October 24, 2018

The Harm from Bad Science (Part I: Pesticides)

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#p_dreissen">Paul Driessen</a> -- October 23, 2018

Energy & Environmental Newsletter: October 22, 2018

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#john-droz">John Droz, Jr.</a> -- October 22, 2018

Behind the IPCC Curtain: the Costs of Climate Mitigation Policy

By <a class="post-author" href="/about#m_krebs">Mark Krebs</a> -- October 18, 2018

World Health Organization: Wind Turbine Noise as a Health Hazard (opening recognition likely to lead to more acknowledgement)

By Sherri Lange -- October 17, 2018