Blackout America: A Glimpse Of The “Green” Future Liberals Want So Badly
(USNewsMag.com) – One of the great battles between the Left and the Right hinges on climate change and the appropriate actions to take. Liberals want to see more renewable energy sources and they’re pushing for them at a breakneck pace. While it’s admirable to want to move to these sources, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) renewable sources simply aren’t up to the task. In the end, if there isn’t enough supply, Americans are going to experience rolling blackouts this summer.
Uptick in Renewable Energy Production
Over the last 10 years, wind and solar energy production increased by over 10%. In 2012, just 3.6% of net generation was due to wind and solar. In February of this year, it was up to 14.5%. Part of this is because several states, including the ever-Blue California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Connecticut have unveiled legislation with lofty goals of going either 100% carbon-free electricity or 100% renewable energy within the next several years. As a result, they’re pushing for more green energy sources while at the same time moving away from fossil fuel infrastructure.
According to Jonathan Lesser, a Manhattan Institute adjunct fellow, they’re “doing everything [they] can to increase the demand for electricity while constricting supply,” which is “a recipe for blackouts.” The other issue is some states are pushing for “complete electrification” and without the infrastructure to support it — wind and solar can’t — it’s going to cause significant problems throughout the US.
The Unreliability of Renewable Energy
The problem with renewable energy, in short, is it’s unreliable, which is why the United States is still largely dependent on fossil fuels. According to EIA data, wind and solar can’t provide enough energy on their own due to their intermittent nature. Thermal sources, however, like coal and natural gas consistently provide nearly 70% of our country’s energy needs. Cutting out these reliable sources would drastically reduce the amount of electricity available, which means states would have to regulate what’s available and the result would be blackouts that could last for days, especially in states like California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) actually reversed his stance on closing the state’s last nuclear plant because of expected energy shortfalls. In New York, where officials are pushing to shutter thermal sources in favor of greener options, these blackouts could come in some of the worst times of the year — winter and summer — when power demand is greater. This actually did happen in Texas in February of 2021.
While the push for going green doesn’t seem to be going away, responsible use, in conjunction with fossil fuel infrastructure could help lessen the impact on the climate.
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