Free Market Electricity: End the Blackout (Kiesling bobs and weaves)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- July 11, 2023 No Comments

“People who pride themselves on their ‘complexity’ and deride others for being ‘simplistic’ should realize that the truth is often not very complicated. What gets complex is evading the truth. – Thomas Sowell

Imagine a self-described classical liberal that cannot define classical liberalism (a real free market) in their area of specialty. Imagine a self-described “directionalist” who cannot define the end-state. And imagine this person telling me, as her critic, “I will not dance to your tune.”

Political Economy 101 deals with the difference between a free market and governmental intervention. For months, I have begged this person to get to the essence of electricity policy, only to be rebuffed as ignorant and out of step. Meanwhile, this person traffics in hidden assumptions, deep jargon, rhetorical flourishes, and technicalities intended to obscure the fundamental questions.…

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Solar Farm Opposition: Rejoinder to Giberson (2)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- July 6, 2023 1 Comment

“If local government stops destructive intervention emanating from above, so be it. Free-market advocates have noted the advantages of local, decentralized government to this end.”

“Are you just interested in private property rights to help Energy Leviathan? Does your standard also oppose mandatory open access, gas-appliance bans, and other violations of liberty in the name of climate alarmism/forced energy transformation?”

Should neighbors and local government work to nix government-enabled projects on private land, particularly a project that harms the locals as taxpayers and ratepayers; and harms the neighbors with lower property values and nuisances. Giberson says: No matter; private property rights shield all. I say: citizens and neighbors and local government have every right to try to stop Energy Leviathan.

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Michael Giberson and I have debated the issue in Round One.…

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Air Conditioning: Thank You Fossil Fuels

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- July 5, 2023 3 Comments

It’s the time of the year when the climate alarmists are out in force, blaming the severity of every heat wave or heat dome on … man-made global warming. I sometimes comment on the dire posts with the simple point: stop whining and turn on the air conditioner, or add a mist machine to your most precious outdoor space.

I heard stories from my father about how, prior to A/C, his parents used to buy blocks of ice that were then placed in front of an electric fan to produced conditioned air. Cool!  No whining, but action. Adaptation and, going forward, resiliency.

I was reminded of this when I read a recent recent post at LinkedIn by Frederick Ruehr, most recently with the Georgetown University Law Center, on seven ways our ancestors coped with the heat of summer.…

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Energy and Environmental Review: July 3, 2023

By -- July 3, 2023 No Comments

Ed. note: 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. The complete Newsletter for this post can be found here.

Greed Energy Economics:
*** Time to accept that wind turbine costs are not falling
*** Wind costs will remain high
*** Still Waiting for the Magical Future of Free Wind Power
Siemens Energy shares plunge more than 37% as wind turbine worries deepen
Renewable Corporate Welfare for Renewables Keeps On A-Coming

Unreliables (General):
*** Replacing Coal Power with Wind and Solar Increases Net CO2 Emissions
*** Why Big Oil loves the renewable energy industry
*** The Energy Transition Isn’t
How Co-ops are Impacted by Threats to Reliability
Alberta wind power production fell to 0.4% capacity at same time solar was zero
Aussie Farmers Reject Massive Wind & Solar Transmission Grid Rollout
Europe’s Crisis:  Blame Green Energy Policy

Wind Energy — Offshore:
*** Is Dominion’s Offshore Wind Project ‘Arbitrary and Capricious’?

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Andrew Dessler on Texas Heat: Vague but Exaggerated

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 29, 2023 4 Comments Continue Reading

Europe’s Crisis:  Blame Green Energy Policy

By Steve Goreham -- June 28, 2023 2 Comments Continue Reading

Pretty Industrial Wind Turbines? (eco-activist reports from the pristine)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 27, 2023 1 Comment Continue Reading

Wind Fails Texas Again

By -- June 26, 2023 1 Comment Continue Reading

Energy and Environmental Review: June 19, 2023

By -- June 19, 2023 1 Comment Continue Reading

Private Property Rights vs. Industrial Wind/Solar: Reply to Giberson

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 15, 2023 2 Comments Continue Reading