Solar is hardly an infant industry, as documented here and here. And ‘Big Oil’ tried to make it economic a half century ago–and failed. A six-year-old article, “How Big Oil Of The Past Helped Launch The Solar Industry Of Today, by Andrea Hsu tells the story, one that is pertinent today given the bust of the industry (see tomorrow’s post). She begins:
…Renewable energy has gotten so cheap that even oil giant Exxon Mobil, which reported $20.8 billion in earnings in 2018, is getting in on the savings. Over the next couple of years, Exxon Mobil will begin purchasing wind and solar power in West Texas, part of a 12-year agreement signed late last year with the Danish energy company Orsted. The plan is to use cheap, clean electricity to power Exxon Mobil’s expanding operations in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s most productive oil fields.
In a social media exchange, Daniel Fitzgerald, senior product sustainability director at Stanley Black & Decker, did an AI search on me. He wrote:
…Let’s see what our AI overlord (Chat GPT) thinks:
Q: Looking at Rob Bradley, CEO of the institute for energy research, and his positions on oil and gas verses renewable, should I trust his facts and opinions? Please keep the response to no more than a paragraph.
A: Rob Bradley, CEO of the Institute for Energy Research, promotes a strong free-market, pro-fossil fuel perspective and is known for opposing many renewable energy policies. His work often reflects ideological bias, and while he cites data to support his views, his conclusions frequently conflict with mainstream scientific and economic consensus on climate change and energy transitions. As such, his facts and opinions should be cross-checked with peer-reviewed and more balanced sources before being trusted.
The headline reads: “DeSmog has been tracking the efforts of fossil fuel trade associations, policymakers, and industry backed-groups out to demolish U.S. climate policy for years.” Yes, and add to that list the hundreds if not thousands of climate and energy realists who challenge climate alarmism and forced energy transformation every hour on different social media platforms, such as on Facebook and LinkedIn (I being one of them).
Author Geoff Dembicki lists the American Petroleum Institute, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Project 2025, Heartland Institute, the “Koch Network,” and “Trump’s Climate Working Group.” That’s a start, but what about the nearly 1,000 “climate deniers” listed in DeSmog’s Climate Disinformation Database?
Perhaps it would be more efficient and better to instead list all of the climate alarmist organizations and magical thinking energy groups.…