Thirteen of the world’s 20 least electrified countries are in Africa. Around 630 million people live without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa.

“What will help Africa defeat energy poverty: glorified renewables or time-tested, dense, reliable conventional energies?”

The African energy renaissance never happened. Most of the continent is still in the dark and far behind the rest of the world in energy production.

Now, the challenges faced by Africa’s energy sector have only been complicated by European interests in climate policy-driven renewable energy.

What will help Africa defeat energy poverty: glorified renewables or time-tested, dense, reliable conventional energies?

African Energy Situation

Africans are very nearly 1/6^th of the world’s people, but they consume just 1/30^th of the world’s primary energy. Thirteen of the world’s 20 least electrified countries are in Africa.…

Editor Note: Captive customers of franchised, monopolistic utilities should decide for themselves whether or not to participate in so-called demand-side management (energy conservation) programs. Jim Clarkson of Resource Supply Management Company filed testimony to this effect as part of Georgia Power Company’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan.

Comes now, Resource Supply Management and shows the Commission that participation in Georgia Power’s Demand Side Measures (“DSM”) programs should be voluntary:

• One way to provide a little relief to ratepayers from the cost of Vogtle is to allow customers to op-out of Demand Side Measures instituted by Georgia Power and approved by the Public Service Commission along with the associated surcharges on customer bills. These energy efficiency programs are supposed to reduce customer use of electricity, which is the last thing Georgia Power needs to do in their current situation.

The Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions (AWED) is an informal coalition of individuals and organizations interested in improving national, state, and local energy and environmental policies. Our premise is that technical matters like these should be addressed by using Real Science (please consult WiseEnergy.org for more information).

A key element of AWED’s efforts is public education. Towards that end, every three weeks we put together a newsletter to balance what is found in the mainstream media about energy and the environment. We appreciate MasterResource for their assistance in publishing this information.

Some of the more important articles in this issue are:

The Greens’ Goal has Always Been to Make Renewable Energy Expensive

Combined-Cycle Natural Gas Power Beats Everything Else

The Levelized Cost of Electricity from Existing Generation Resources

Observations on the Alliance for Market Solutions’ ‘conservative’ case for a carbon tax

Economists Have Been “Useful Idiots” for the Green Socialists

Infrasound — a Growing Liability for Wind Energy

Study: Wind turbines kill 75% of nearby buzzards, hawks and kites

Energy solution hinges on better technology

Reforming State Utility Regulations

Farmland Owner (& MD) Encourages People NOT to Lease Wind Turbines

Solar intermittency: upbeat carbon reduction estimates miss the reality

Editorial: Governor Cuomo’s ‘renewable’ fiasco

The CO2 Hockey Stick

Why we do nothing to prepare for climate change

Study: Human CO2 Emissions Have Little Effect on Atmospheric CO2

Calling Climate Change ‘Catastrophic’ Isn’t Backed By Science

The Plan is No Plan: Why the GOP Shouldn’t Do Anything on Climate

Climate change has started to influence our language.…

Editor note: Yesterday’s post described media coverage of an application by Invenergy to construct up to one hundred 600-foot-tall wind turbines in three counties in western New York. Today’s post reproduces remarks given at the hearing on this application (subtitles have been added for clarity).

“Invenergy will … cut corners, skirt obligations, bully oppositional viewpoints and do anything they can to cram this project in, all in the name of alleged green energy. The only think green about this project is the money flowing into Invenergy’s pocket in the form of wasteful taxpayer subsidies.”

My name is Ginger Schroder.  I and my husband own and reside on a working farm that specializes in heritage and exotic breed poultry in Farmersville New York.  My town is a proposed “host” town.

Public Participation Issues

A brief word about public participation. …