Posted on 04/22/2014 4:48:49 PM PDT by jazusamo
Failed Policy: The federal government has spent some $100 billion in taxpayer subsidies on green energy since 2006. Now we are seeing the flimsy and declining returns on that investment.
The wind industry saw its growth tumble by 92% last year, according to a new report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), and that's off of a very low base to begin with.
Big Wind blames the decline in output on uncertainty over the future of a federal wind industry tax credit — an absurdly generous subsidy of 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour produced.
This handout is what keeps those giant turbines twirling. These subsidies have been thrown at the renewable energy industry for more than a decade and always with the promise by AWEA that profitability is right around the corner. Sure it is.
The reality is that the wind industry is to energy production what Amtrak is to intercity transportation — a perpetual tax-dollar burning machine.
The wind industry has admitted that without the taxpayer handouts, its form of energy can't compete. In other words, in a free market system for energy, wind is, well, winded.
One reason for the dismal state of affairs for wind is the shale oil and gas revolution. In six years the price of natural gas in the U.S. has plummeted to $4 a gallon from $12. None of the brilliant central planners in Washington ever saw that coming.
The fatal conceit of government planners is to believe they can see the future better than private entrepreneurs and investors.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
Not only that but they visually pollute once pristine landscapes and kill birds. The once beautiful Columbia River gorge between Washington State and Oregon is a case in point. Also another windmill disaster is Palm Springs. I can’t think Solar Energy is going to be much better.
Beware the backdoor subsidy...some states are mandating that a certain percentage of power come from wind.
I still advocate installing solar panels adjacent to the wind turbines and the shredded and cooked poultry downstream can be fed to the starving victims of the Baraqqi Depression.
“None of the brilliant central planners in Washington ever saw that coming.”
The central planners’ response would be that they should have more power to shut down the production of natural gas and shale oil. Then their 5 year master plans for progress will surely be successful. Just like in the former Soviet Union.
A couple of years ago, I read an article written by an environmentalist wacko who actually admitted this. She admitted in her article that those goofyass windmills were only there as a reminder to people to “save da planet.” Kind of like environmentalist wacko billboards. I wish that I had bookmarked that article and have since tried to find it again. No luck.
Yep, the Columbia River gorge is a disaster and the Altamont Pass in CA is probably the worst for killing birds. Solar is out of sight cost wise.
It’s automated and efficient but I’d put a lot of McDs and Taco Bells out of business. :)
The eco-nuts kept the bird killing under wraps for a number of years but it finally came out.
And Dingy Harry’s big “solar farms” are frying the birds when they get confused and think that the libs’ big solar panel displays are lakes. Leave it to the libs to always make things worse than they already are.
. . .and lots of dead birds including eagles and other endangered species that are valuable. Yet they create drought in central California to destroy one of our greatest farmlands to protect a small fish that can live almost anywhere.
They aren’t just incompetent. They are evil.
I can’t help wondering how hard the oil companies are crying, that each windmill needs an oil change once a week?
How many windmills x 52 weeks = how many gallons? So these wind puppies are burning through the oil are they!
Not sure where you got your data, but this:
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/395/wind-turbine-lubrication
Indicates OCI’s are 8-12 months.
I advocate the requirement for cities (over 500,000 in blue states) be required to have at least 50% of their electricity generated by solar panel and turbines mounted on buildings within the city limits.
I have frequently driven by a virtual forest of windmills in southwestern Minnesota with windmills from horizon to horizon. Often I have driven by when not one of these hundreds of windmills are turning.
Windmills and solar energy are like federal social welfare programs. They are mostly symbolic, but ineffective at the intended result. So long as they are based on good intentions, that will do just fine for the liberals behind them.
Eat cake. Vote Democrat..
GE was a huge player in wind power.
GE’s CEO was an economic advisor to Obama.
GE didn’t pay any taxes.
I got my info from the guys who drive the trucks up there on a daily basis.
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