U.S. needs a "Common Sense Energy Plan"

[dan_s]

"Over the past nine years, the IEA estimates $3.5 trillion was invested in wind and solar generation, all of which we believe should be categorized as malinvestment. This spending generated less than 3,500 TWh, a mere 12% of total electricity generation. In 2022 alone, nearly $600 bn was spent to add 500 TWh. The capital intensity of last year’s installation was almost 20% greater than the average over the previous nine years. So much for Moore’s Law. With deficits soaring and energy becoming more scarce and expensive, how much longer can we continue down the renewable path?" - Adam Roxencwajg e-mail received 12-22-2023.

My investment advice: NEVER invest in companies that require government subsidies to survive.

EROI = "Energy Return on Investment"

Despite being heralded as the future, wind and solar have terrible EROIs. Compared with coal or natural gas, sunlight and wind are not energy-dense. Compare the energy from a gas stove with a stiff breeze or a sunny afternoon; they are different orders of magnitude. Since renewable energy density is so low, their size must be enormous to generate the same output. A modern windmill stands 80 stories tall with rotor blades that are 600 feet in diameter. A 100 MW solar installation, enough to power 20,000 households, requires a staggering 139 million square feet of PV solar panels. Large size means copious raw materials, which consume enormous energy. As a result, the energy required to generate output is very high, and the EROI is low. A combined cycle natural gas plant enjoys an EROI of 30:1, compared with the best wind and solar at 10:1 and 5:1, respectively. Unfortunately, wind and solar are intermittent and must be “buffered” by either building redundant capacity or through grid-scale battery backup, reducing their overall EROI further to as low as 3-5:1. Bottomline: Wind and solar could never replace conventional energy given their inferior EROI.

[Fraser921]

Windmills in the Ocean is a disaster waiting to happen.

- Salt weather impact to machinery
- cost to maintain
- slicing up seaguls
- Whales don't like it
- Shipping has to avoid things, remember the Titanic
- Messes up radar signature
- Messes up view for beautiful people of Martha Vineyard, oh wait..they arent putting them there!