DOE Efficiency Standards: Consumer Time?

By Mark Krebs and Tom Tanton -- November 14, 2024 10 Comments

“The Deep State is cancer-like in nature. Like cancer, it must be rooted out before it metastasizes—as it would have if subject to another four years of a Harris (Obama 4.0?) Administration.”

“It’s time to go big. Scrap DOE and part-out whatever missions are worth saving.  And whatever missions are deemed worth saving should be saved only with thorough scrutiny of zero-based budgeting.”

Our March 2017 post, DOE’s EERE: Reform Ideas for Secretary Perry, stated that while “a trace of consumer focus still exists,” the department’s heavy bias was towards society-wide electrification under the guise of “Net Zero”.

Whatever trace of consumer focus may be remaining within DOE is not worth salvaging. In fact, eliminating the pipe dream of an all-electric society would likely save US citizens $18 to 29 trillion in capital costs alone.…

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Risking Alaska’s Energy Exceptionalism (RPS looming)

By -- October 15, 2024 No Comments

“Alaska’s ‘capitalism in transition’ requires one final piece of legislation before reaching, arguably, the point of no return: a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).”

Alaska has no shortage of recommendations from local environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) whose purpose is to implement global Malthusian degrowth.  These plans come at great cost to our future and way of life as free Alaskans.  

In March of 2022, “Alaska’s Renewable Energy Future – New Jobs, Affordable Energy” was released, a report on behalf of the Regenerative Economies Working Group – Alaska Climate Alliance / Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition. Imagining themselves as Alaska’s overlords, the study examined

the potential for 100% clean renewable energy to replace fossil fuels energy in Alaska by 2050 and its attendant benefits including more jobs, lower energy prices, higher energy security and the potential for renewable resources to support the equitable transition to hydrogen-based fuels for the aviation and maritime industry.

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Heat Pump Subsidies: Never Enough

By -- September 18, 2024 3 Comments

“The Competitive Enterprise Institute is leading a coalition of free market advocates attempting to organize support to stop the IRA’s obscene and consumer abusive funding. In response, the Biden (mis)Administration is attempting to shovel IRA funding out the door as fast as it can to contractually shield it.”

Early this month, Lucas Davis, a Professor in Business and Technology at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, published an article titled: How Do We Pump Up the Impact of Heat Pump Subsidies? In April, Professor Davis published a precursor article titled: Why Are Heat Pump Sales Decreasing?

The upshot is that despite Federal rebates of up to $8,000 per the “Inflation Reduction Act,” real-world economics of electric heat pumps are dismal.  Several commenters to the second article aptly summarized why from a consumer perspective.…

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AI & Data Center Load Growth: On-Site Generation, Not Government Planning

By Mark Krebs and Tom Tanton -- April 17, 2024 3 Comments

“Wind and solar pose inherent problems; especially to the ultra-high electric energy ‘purity’ requirements of AI/data centers. Data centers and AI generally require nine-nines reliability and quality metrics such as voltage, frequency, harmonics, etc.”

Several recent articles have highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers are increasing electricity usage, creating concern about adequate supply and its effect on local communities. These articles include:

The nation’s 2,700 data centers sapped more than 4 percent of the country’s total electricity in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. Its projections show that by 2026, they will consume 6 percent.

While the hyperscalers typically need 10-14kW per rack in existing data centers, this is likely to rise to 40-60kW for AI-ready racks equipped with resource-hungry GPUs.

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Energy & Environmental Review: April 1, 2024

By -- April 1, 2024 No Comments Continue Reading

Alaska ‘Green New Deal’ Lurks (RPS danger)

By -- January 31, 2024 No Comments Continue Reading

Severe Cold from Global Warming? NOPE (Doug Lewin in error)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- January 18, 2024 No Comments Continue Reading

Industrial Wind vs. Deep Ecology: Surface Impacts

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- January 16, 2024 1 Comment Continue Reading

“Green” Weaponization in Missouri: Ameren vs. Ratepayers, Taxpayers

By -- January 11, 2024 3 Comments Continue Reading

“Wartime” Climate Policy vs. Natural Gas: Biden Gets Desperate

By -- November 27, 2023 No Comments Continue Reading