“Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.” – Milton Friedman
Even since the Great Texas Blackout of February 2021, I have tried to engage classical liberal scholars with the lost tradition of free market electricity in theory, practice, and public policy. An interesting exchange with economist Steve Postrel on social media some months ago is worth preserving, in this regard.
Postrel is very critical of Lynne Kiesling’s uber-technical optimism with governmental chess pieces (wind, solar, batteries, another story). But he rejects a free market in electricity.
I reproduce the exchange and then offer a critical comment. It began with my reference to my AIER primer: Free Market Electricity.
Postrel to Bradley: I am familiar with the old Primeaux and Demsetz [free market] arguments, but they have little concordance with each other or with the pre-regulation utopia you try to resurrect in your article.…
Continue Reading“Now that the subsidies are gone, are you going to fold your tent, or create a business that is a survivor?” – (Doug Houseman, below)
Electricity expert and solar advocate Doug Houseman (we debate on LinkedIn) recently posted on the new reality for the subsidy-entitled solar industry. He is reacting to the Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill rollback (but not elimination!) of the Inflation Reduction Act, Investment Tax Credit, and Production Tax Credit.
“Today the world changed,” he began. “With the passage of the Mega bill energy assurance went away.”
… Continue ReadingIt was that solar and wind developers and installers had a pretty good idea of what subsidies they would get, the subsidies were untouchable, and stable for decades. A little change here and there, but largely they stayed the same. Even though it made little sense to provide subsidies to rooftop solar, it was very stable too.
This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a free fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. Droz is also the author of the popular Substack Critically Thinking About Select Societal Issues.
Greed Energy Economics:
*** The Ongoing Fiction of Cheap Wind and Solar
Unreliables (General):
*** Electricity generated from wind and solar cannot replace fossil fuels!
*** How to Fix Renewable Energy’s Hidden Infrastructure Problem
CFACT delivers important renewable energy message to ALEC attendees
BP Abandoning Renewables
Wind Energy — Offshore:
New York halts offshore wind power line approvals, citing Trump opposition
Wind Energy — Other:
*** FWS is violating its own eagle-kill regulations
*** The Ugly Truth About Wind: Environmental Disaster Masquerading as Clean Energy
Solar Energy:
SUNBLOCK: The Global Fight To Save Farmland From Big Solar (short video)
Nuclear Energy:
*** Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are a game-changer for the world
*** How to unleash Small Modular Reactors (Alex Epstein)
Asia’s Pivot Toward Nuclear Energy
The Future of Nuclear in Texas
Startup begins work on US fusion power plant.…