Thursday Feb 18 2021
Let a Texan Freeze in the Dark
The Biden Administration’s plan to banish fossil fuels is a greater existential threat to Americans than climate change.
WSJ Editorial February 16, 2021
There are lots of reasons for the 40% loos of the grid that caused millions of homes to become powerless this past week and natural gas prices to spike to $600 per mbtus. Here are a few.
A sustained period of cold weather is nothing new in Nebraska, It is in south Texas.
Politicians have been pushing for more green energy. And have awarded considerable tax breaks for constructing wind and solar. And so that is where capital went. One cannot store wind or sunshine. One can store coal and natural gas in case of an emergency. But this was not done as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas ERCOT works for the lowest cost kilowatt. Half the wind towers froze and the differentials were not properly lubricated for the cold. Recall Obama promised to bankrupt anyone building a coal fired generation plant, now who is bankrupt?
Many wells and pipelines were also not prepared for such cold weather and were shut down.
As the industry built more wind and solar, no money was spent expanding coal or natural gas facilities to supply our now 30 million plus residents with back up power.
Germany soured on its green energy policies and began importing US produced LNG. China still relies on coal power.
After huge short-term spikes in gas prices, they are falling back to earth.
Joe Biden may say carbon pollutes but we have the cleanest air in decades. Methane emissions dropped 70% in our largest oil and gas producing regions between 2011 and 2018. And we are finally energy independent from the Middle East. alter of green energy?
If we do not have a grid that will support a few days of freezing weather, we certainly will not have a grid to support the additional demand of millions of electric cars by 2030. And planes will never fly on solar cells. There was no way any of us could have re-charged an electric car this past week. But I was able to venture out in my 12 year old Toyota SUV.
Now we are being lectured by -
Bill Gates who lives in a 66,000 sf home (not a typo) valued at $147 M, what do you suppose his electric bill runs?
Climate Czar John Kerry who flew his wife’s private jet to Europe in 2019 to accept a climate award.
Ever worried about the ocean rising with all those melting icebergs, the Obamas bought a $11.75 M waterfront estate in Martha’s Vineyard. Kerry is his newest neighbor buying 8.5 waterfront acres, same neighborhood.
Barb Streisand suggests a return to outdoor clothes lines from her 3 acre Malibu 10,000 + sf three building estate.
But this is all my fault living in in my 2,300 sf home. All hail the bi-coastal elites.