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Thursday, February 18, 2021

"Hello Clean Energy Advocates, What Do We Do When The Wind Turbines Are All Frozen?

Source:
https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk/economics/hello-clean-energy-advocates-what-do-we-do-when-the-wind-turbines-are-all-frozen


"The wholesale price of electricity spikes 10,000% in a Texas power outage.

Among other problems, the wind turbines are all frozen.

... Gas and power prices have spiked across the central U.S. while Texas regulators ordered rolling blackouts Monday as an Arctic blast has frozen wind turbines.

Herein is the paradox of the left’s climate agenda: The less we use fossil fuels, the more we need them.

... Cold snaps happen—the U.S. also experienced a Polar Vortex in 2019—as do heat waves.

Yet the power grid is becoming less reliable due to growing reliance on wind and solar, which can’t provide power 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

... Wind’s share has tripled to about 25% since 2010 and accounted for 42% of power last week before the freeze set in.


About half of Texans rely on electric pumps for heating, which liberals want to mandate everywhere. 

But the pumps use a lot of power in frigid weather.

So while wind turbines were freezing, demand for power was surging.

California progressives long ago banished coal.

But a heat wave last summer strained the state’s power grid as wind flagged and solar ebbed in the evenings.

After imposing rolling blackouts, grid regulators resorted to importing coal power from Utah and running diesel emergency generators.

... The Biden Administration’s plan to banish fossil fuels is a greater existential threat to Americans than climate change.


... Burning coal releases SO2 and NOx pollutants that cause Acid Rain, huge respiratory problems and will devastate forests.

If the atmosphere is polluted with sulfur dioxide (SO2) or nitrogen oxides (NOx), rain becomes oxidized by ozone (O3) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to form H2SO4 or HNO3 before falling to the ground.

They are known respectively as sulfuric and nitric acid.

Acid rain will dissolve panty hose on the spot.

There is a huge difference between burning coal and burning natural gas.

For environmental reasons, I am anti-coal but very much in favor of Natural Gas.

Problems arise as happened last year in California and this week in Texas when pressure to eliminate all carbon wins over common sense.

... US carbon output is shrinking and the US only accounted for  14.5% of the total global footprint,
(yet) the absurd push to eliminate all US carbon presses on.

... solar power will come into play as storage technology improves.

The free market, not populist ideas will solve real world problems.

... “It’s long past time for the Senate to take a leading role in combating the existential threat of our time: climate,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The "existential threat" is politicians seeking $90 trillion solutions to hyped-up problems, not natural gas."