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Saturday, August 02, 2014

The Solar Swindle

Solar electricity is growing, promoted, and most importantly, heavily subsidized. The promoters of solar electricity claim that it is close to being competitive with conventional sources of electricity. That is a fantasy.

Solar electricity is expensive and impractical. If it weren't for government subsidies, some explicit and some disguised, the solar industry would collapse. The many claims of competitiveness are always based on ignoring subsidies provided to politically correct renewable power, ignoring the costs associated with unreliability, and ignoring the cost of backup fossil fuel plants.

An example of a hidden subsidy is the California Renewable Portfolio Standard that mandates utilities to obtain 33% of their energy from so-called renewable sources by 2020. This mandate forces utilities to contract for expensive sources of energy, such as solar. The cost is passed on to the utility customers with the connivance of the government. Although the motivation behind the California scheme is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, politically incorrect sources of CO2-free electricity, such as nuclear and large-scale hydroelectric, can't be counted as renewable.

People whose knowledge of electricity production ends at their wall outlet are dictating national energy policy. Magical thinking by hopelessly ignorant political activists permeates the alternative energy universe.

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8 comments:

Fruitland Generic Citizen said...

Because nuclear power is soooo much healthier for us...

Anonymous said...

RE: Fruitcake generic libtard

All the solar and wind power in the world doesn't come close to providing the needs of a civilized society.
Nuclear is much more healthy than any other alternative.
So we shut off nuclear and coal and watch as people starve and freeze.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't agree more with the article. I always refer to residential solar power systems as "welfare for the rich" because the average Joe can't afford it and the Government mandates tax credits and utility company payouts. If solar worked it would not require our tax money to fund it's viability.

Anonymous said...

1235 please review your history. Oil companies have long been heavily subsidized especially during the 80s and 90s when the companies were claiming they would all fold without "welfare"

Anonymous said...

12:50, I thought we were talking about SOLAR POWER not oil company subsidies. Please review the article.

Anonymous said...

A poorly written article,but understandable.I wouldn't give up my solar generator for anything.

Anonymous said...

I have knowledge on this subject but I will refrain from sharing because there is an infantile name calling jerk who seems to think he is control of everything and is the only person on earth that has all the answers. Do you think if we all ignore him for awhile he will disappear? God I hope so.

Anonymous said...

12:50
Oil companies have NOT been subsidized.
The libtards like to accuse the oil companies of getting subsidies when in fact they are claiming tax deductions just like any other business is allowed to take.