“[Hannah] Ritchie ends with suggestions for better results for wind’s avian mortality problem, including ‘Turn off wind turbines at very low speeds when bats are around … Don’t put wind farms in high-risk areas for birds and bats … Paint the turbines Black … Play alert noises to bats and birds to deter them.’ But … these things limit wind siting, increase costs, and/or annoy local neighbors.”

A social media post by Hannah Ritchie (sustainability researcher, University of Oxford) on industrial wind power is worth revisiting. She works within the climate alarm/forced energy transformation narrative (“Bird species are under threat from climate change”) but considers the question:

It would be worrying, then, if a move to low-carbon energy increased pressures on bird populations. That’s a common concern as countries move to wind power.

“It is entirely possible that the total costs to build, maintain and replace units every 20+ years (at end of service) would be prohibitive compared to other sources of energy. Beyond these cost considerations, sources indicate that the turbine blades cannot be recycled and are piling up in landfills. Fossil fuels will also still be needed to maintain the lubrication of these units, and what about potential for spillage?” (Jeff Wyles, below)

The old joke comes to mind: Q: When is an environmentalist not an environmentalist? A: When it comes to wind power.

Make that double for offshore wind, and wild-eyed California politicians are having trouble hiding the problems. Consider a recent op-ed, Rethink Floating Wind Turbine Power Off Our California Coastline?,” an environmental feature of California newspaper MendoFever (February 12, 2024).…

Ed. Note: This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a free fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. The complete Newsletter for this post can be found here.

Greed Energy Economics:
*** Bloomberg: Wind and solar will need subsidies indefinitely
US revises tax credit rule to help offshore wind projects

Unreliables (General):
*** “I Was Wrong About Renewables,” Says Former Green Energy Executive
*** Renewables will destroy America’s lifestyle back to the pre-1800’s – this is the Biden energy plan
*** The Coming Electricity Crisis
It’s Hailing on the Climate Crisis Green Energy Parade
Polish Farmers Stage 600 Protests in a Day Against EU Crippling Green Policies

Wind Energy — Offshore:
*** Conservative groups sue to stop Dominion VA offshore wind project
     Wind Project Sued Over Claimed Threat to Whales
*** Dominion Energy’s absurd reply to CFACT’s whale protection lawsuit

Wind Energy — Other:
*** Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (referencing 60± studies)
*** Doctor: Infrasound From Wind Turbines Could Be ‘A Huge Threat to the Entire Biodiversity’
Can Wind Turbines Cause Developmental Deformities in Horses?…

Ed. Note: This post excerpts energy and climate material from the Media Balance Newsletter, a free fortnightly published by physicist John Droz Jr., founder of the Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions. The complete Newsletter for this post can be found here.

Greed Energy Economics:

*** Dispelling the Cult Claim—”Wind and Solar are Lower Cost Generation than Natural Gas”
Two wind facilities share $100± million to turn off

Unreliables (General):

*** Time to retire the term ‘renewable energy’ from serious discussion and energy policy directives
*** The State of Reliability in PJM and Nine Slides from My Testimony in Ohio Explaining Why Costs are Rising and Reliability is Faltering

Wind Energy — Offshore:
Danish Clean Energy Giant Sucking Wind
Study Provides Guidance on Detecting North Atlantic Right Whales in Wind Energy Areas

Wind Energy — Other:
*** Taking the Wind Out of Climate Change (referencing 60± studies)
Industrial Wind Turbines demonstrate their Unreliable and Intermittent Nature Generating 1.8% of their Capacity than jumping to 80.4% only a few days later

Solar Energy:
*** Stealing with Solar: The Great Net-Metering Heist
*** Steal from the Poor, Give to the Rich

Nuclear Energy:
*** After scrapping nuclear reactors, Germany to spend billions on new gas power plants

Fossil Fuel Energy:
*** Coal’s Life-Saving Role Ignored by Climate-Obsessed Media
House delivers blow to Biden’s climate agenda, votes against natural gas moratorium
Biden to Export Ideology Instead of Natural Gas
Climate Cultists at The Guardian: This Time, It’s Evil Propane

Electric Vehicles (EVs):
*** Ford Lost $4.7B On EVs Last Year, Or About $64,731 For Every EV It Sold
Car Dealers Slash Prices Of EVs As Demand Craters
Experts warn electric vehicle weight threatens road safety and infrastructure
Heavier EV’s tearing up the roadways but paying nothing for road maintenance

Miscellaneous Energy News:
*** A landmark Energy Freedom Resolution from the RNC
*** Introducing: AlexAI (energy questions answered by Alex Epstein’s AI)
*** The Deindustrialization of Europe in Five Charts
Congress and courts enable energy and climate fantasy and tyranny
Energy regulator’s exit may flummox Biden’s green plans
Can the government create a green hydrogen fuel industry?…