Lazlo
17th June 2011, 16:55
I work in the renewable energy business. Not 2KW of solar on a residential roof, but utility scale power plants. So this can be considered an "insider's" perspective, but in no way is this "whistleblower" testimony. Just my observations. I want to be clear that I believe that renewable energy is a good thing, but that the public must be properly informed of the costs and limitations associated with it.
With that out of the way:
Climategate and the utter failure at Copenhagen changed the entire momentum of the renewable energy business. Now Russia, Canada, and Japan have joined the USA in declaring that they will not follow the guidelines established at Kyoto.
Cracks were already appearing on the inside. Wind turbines are more expensive and less reliable than believed. Gearboxes, costing several hundred thousand dollars to replace, often last less than ten years, not the life of the turbine as originally thought. Transmission capacity has been reached in most of the best wind resource areas. The needed upgrades will cost at least a trillion dollars in order to reach the government's stated capacity goals.
Feed in Tarriffs for solar have proven to be disastrous in countries such as Spain. The Spanish government has moved to restructure the power purchase agreements in order to lower payments to solar operators (this would cause loan defaults and losses to banks). Actual production data is suggesting that solar is not providing the power output assumed, this provides additional risks in financing for future projects. Many of the "Mega" solar projects announced in the press have not been built because of cost constraints.
Hydrokinetic (tidal power generators) have yet to make the leap from concept and beta tests to pilot projects, in fact, many projects have been cancelled.
The financial crisis of 2007-2008 changed the dynamics of investment and financing for all renewable energy projects.
All of these developments have put a serious strain on TPTB plans for a global carbon tax = Pay to Breathe tax for the unwashed masses.
March 11, 2011: Fukushima
Germany changes course and declares it will get out of the nuclear game. Italy will halt development of new nuclear. France warns of power shortages due to reactor shutdowns resulting from water discharge temperatures into rivers. A nuclear plant in Nebraska recently had a fire, and now is in danger from flooding. The global nuclear industry (and rightly so, I may add) is in serious trouble.
With the nuclear industry now in the public eye, and coal universally demonized, TPTB have just what they need to renew the push for agressive renewable energy development and The Global Carbon Tax required to pay for it. The GCT has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes of Fukushima.
Never Let A Good (Nuclear) Crisis Go To Waste.
Planned Nuclear Crisis? It's a good conspiracy theory if ever there was one.
What are your thoughts?
With that out of the way:
Climategate and the utter failure at Copenhagen changed the entire momentum of the renewable energy business. Now Russia, Canada, and Japan have joined the USA in declaring that they will not follow the guidelines established at Kyoto.
Cracks were already appearing on the inside. Wind turbines are more expensive and less reliable than believed. Gearboxes, costing several hundred thousand dollars to replace, often last less than ten years, not the life of the turbine as originally thought. Transmission capacity has been reached in most of the best wind resource areas. The needed upgrades will cost at least a trillion dollars in order to reach the government's stated capacity goals.
Feed in Tarriffs for solar have proven to be disastrous in countries such as Spain. The Spanish government has moved to restructure the power purchase agreements in order to lower payments to solar operators (this would cause loan defaults and losses to banks). Actual production data is suggesting that solar is not providing the power output assumed, this provides additional risks in financing for future projects. Many of the "Mega" solar projects announced in the press have not been built because of cost constraints.
Hydrokinetic (tidal power generators) have yet to make the leap from concept and beta tests to pilot projects, in fact, many projects have been cancelled.
The financial crisis of 2007-2008 changed the dynamics of investment and financing for all renewable energy projects.
All of these developments have put a serious strain on TPTB plans for a global carbon tax = Pay to Breathe tax for the unwashed masses.
March 11, 2011: Fukushima
Germany changes course and declares it will get out of the nuclear game. Italy will halt development of new nuclear. France warns of power shortages due to reactor shutdowns resulting from water discharge temperatures into rivers. A nuclear plant in Nebraska recently had a fire, and now is in danger from flooding. The global nuclear industry (and rightly so, I may add) is in serious trouble.
With the nuclear industry now in the public eye, and coal universally demonized, TPTB have just what they need to renew the push for agressive renewable energy development and The Global Carbon Tax required to pay for it. The GCT has risen like a Phoenix from the ashes of Fukushima.
Never Let A Good (Nuclear) Crisis Go To Waste.
Planned Nuclear Crisis? It's a good conspiracy theory if ever there was one.
What are your thoughts?