A Free-Market Energy Blog

Properly Representing Wind and Solar in Electric Systems: Generation Capacity (Part I)

By Kent Hawkins -- April 11, 2017

“The reality is that non-dispatchable generation technologies, (wind and solar) cannot be directly compared with dispatchable generation technologies (coal, natural gas, nuclear, biomass, and generally speaking, hydro). This is a common mistake.”

Unfortunately, unrealistic representations of wind and solar are alive and well in many publications. Even if mathematically correct, their ability to reflect reality should always be carefully assessed.

These are like maps that show only a few major features, such as coastlines, mountains, large rivers, and major roads, leaving out the likes of non-fordable smaller rivers, marshes, ravines, and steep slopes or cliffs.

Signs to watch out for:

  • Wind and solar are included in graphs comparing capacities or capital investments.
  • Representing that capacities, electricity production, and costs per watt-hour of electricity produced can be used to directly compare non-dispatchable wind and solar with reliable, controllable generation plants.
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Energy & Environmental Newsletter: April 10, 2017

By -- April 10, 2017

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:

Confessions of a Climate Change “Denier”

Congressional Testimony: Science is a Process

By the Numbers: Ending the Social Cost of Carbon

There is no such thing as a Conservative CO2 Tax Plan

Take-aways from the Heartland Climate Conference

Video of President Trump’s Inspiring NASA Talk

Agenda 21 Course

Sun’s impact on climate change quantified for first time

Witnessing wind industry’s influence on the Legislature

A Requiem for the 2015 Clean Power Plan: It had more flaws than a cheap dirigible

Energy Policy Will Be About Cutting Costs, Not Emissions (!)…

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Cornwall Alliance Fights Climate Ugliness

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 7, 2017

Radical environmentalists will fight the [new executive] order in every way they can, in Congress, in the courts, in the media, and apparently in the streets. As a citizen, you need to stay informed of the stakes and tactics in this battle, and we at the Cornwall Alliance need your support to keep up the good fight.”

In a recent post, E. Calvin Beisner of the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation provided this update in the moral trenches of the climate-change public policy debate.

Environmentalists Vow to Fight Trump in the Streets Over Climate Policy

If you pay attention to news sources outside the typical conservative camp, you’ll have noticed two things in the last couple days: First the titles are all ridiculous in their alarmism (we are all going to die, etc.

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Carbon Tax Foolishness

By Donn Dears -- April 6, 2017
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A Re-Look at ‘The Bet’ (Simon, Ehrlich, and Paul Sabin)

By Pierre Desrochers -- April 5, 2017
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RFF’s Climate Anger (intellectual pollution hazardous too)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 4, 2017
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On the Falsity of Climate Consensus: Judith Curry’s March 29, 2017, Testimony

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 3, 2017
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Climate Dereg: ‘Energy Independence AND Economic Growth’ (Trump’s EO of March 28, 2017)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 31, 2017
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Mike Lynch on Peak Oil–Part 2

By -- March 30, 2017
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Peak Oil: Not Just Wrong but Invalid

By -- March 29, 2017
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