Tim Newcomb of Popular Mechanics writes: “Wind turbine failures are on the uptick, from Oklahoma to Sweden and Colorado to Germany, with all three of the major manufacturers admitting that the race to create bigger turbines has invited manufacturing issues, according to a report from Bloomberg. “Multiple turbines that are taller than 750 feet are collapsing across…
Tag: renewables
Environmental Justice Means Having Your Own Solar Panel
The state of Rhode Island will subsidize the construction of solar panels on the houses of low- or moderate-income families. Writes Lesa Prevost in Energy News: “The program will offer affordable leases for solar equipment on homes owned by residents with incomes less than or equal to 80% of the area median income. That’s a…
Who’s Astro-Turfing What?
Activists for renewables are horrified that rural America isn’t eager to have wind turbines or solar panels as part of its landscape. They’re blaming fossil-fuel industry “Astro-turf” groups for stirring up rural resistance. In December, in a (paywalled) New Yorker piece, “From Climate Exhortation to Climate Execution,” Bill McKibben describes the work to be done…
Millions Here and Millions There, Federal Money for Green Interests Starts to Add Up
Special (green) interests can range from renewable energy to recycling. The money is flowing to companies, municipalities, airports, you name it. In October, the Biden administration gave school districts $913 million to buy new buses (mostly electric). In addition, it put $27 million into electrifying buses and equipment at airports. (This after awarding $300 million…
Environmental News: Weekend Picks
- Montana’s glaciers are shrinking, but they have been shrinking since the 1850s (and faster before 1966).
- A new poll “obliterates the notion that 97 percent of scientists believe we are facing a severe climate crisis.”
- The Swiss are considering banning electric vehicles if it gets very cold this winter.
- The New York Times blames private owners for failing to allow access to public land (the problem stems from nineteenth-century government policy).
- Relying on wind and solar power requires “staggering” amounts of storage and the idea of electrical grids relying on them is”completely impractical and unaffordable.”
What Energy “Transition”? Coal and Oil Are Surging, Says Robert Bryce
The media keep talking about a transition to renewable energy, but it isn’t happening, says Robert Bryce, writing in Quillette. “[D]espite more than $2 trillion in spending on renewables over the past three decades, there is scant evidence that an energy transition is underway. Last year, according to data from the BP Statistical Review of World…