“The Biden administration’s preposterous plan to establish 30,000 megawatts of nameplate Offshore Wind capacity by 2030 was always a pipedream. It’s what you get when you put the children in charge.” ( – Joseph Toomey, below)

Talented amateurs are often better than the ‘professionals’ when it comes to dissecting U.S. energy policy. Or maybe I have it reversed. The pros are those in the trenches and the amateurs are the ones on high.

So let’s call Joseph Toomey, independent management consultant, an expert. Here is his recent post about the much-in-the-news problems of the offshore wind industry under Biden Energy Policy.

Not long ago, this thread reiterated a resolute, long-standing belief that Offshore Wind is neither practical nor affordable, even in high-tax Democrat-governed Blue States of the U.S. Northeast and Middle Atlantic regions.…

“AgForce is aware of excessive noise complaints at both Mt Emerald and Coopers Gap Wind Farm with a court case on noise nuisance still in progress against the Mt Emerald Wind Farm5…. Noise pollution can cause … fatigue, headaches, elevated blood pressure, irritability, digestive disorders and increased susceptibility to cold and other minor infections.”

“AgForce also has concerns about the impact of wind farms on livestock…. The British Horse Society Advisory Statement recommends a setback of at least 4 times the overall height away from the path of horses to minimise safety risk.”

MasterResource has long reported on the health and nuisance problems of industrial wind turbines on residents and wildlife. There is a reason why such turbines are built remotely and need so much transmission, adding more cost to the high costs of dilute, intermittent, uneconomic energy.…

“This seems a little crazy. During these negative price periods, suppliers are paying ERCOT to take their power…. You could … build a giant toaster in West Texas and be paid by generators to operate it.”

Some 15 years ago, Michael Giberson at Knowledge Problem commented on a strange phenomenon–negative pricing by wind power, where operators with very low marginal costs (the wind is free) were paying takers per KWh to gain big tax credits, mostly federal.

Giberson’s analysis (reposted below) identified the malinvestment and ‘big anti-conservation incentive’. But he did not focus on what cumulatively would result from this distortion: a wounded Texas grid from chronic low prices/margins knocking out thermal generation. The unreliables–via government privilege– knocking out the reliables (what Bill Peacock would call predatory pricing).…