By John McClaughry
Renewable Energy Vermont, the solar energy industry lobby group, is out with a press release urging the legislature to pass a bill, H.320, to require the utilities to buy more of their product.
According to the group, “a strong Renewable Energy Standard would prioritize the development of new renewable resources that truly reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout Vermont and the rest of New England. It would fix the fundamental flaw in the 2015 Renewable Energy Standard — an overreliance on existing renewables that failed to reduce regional carbon pollution. H.320 would do just that by requiring Vermont utilities to get 60% of their power from new renewables while getting Vermont to a 100% renewable energy future.”
The future the group envisions is one where everything runs on electricity, and all of that electricity is generated by solar farms and wind farms, mainly the former. This may seem ridiculous, and it is, when you consider that in Vermont solar electricity can only be produced about 35% of the time, and the other 65% of the time somebody has to build billions of dollars’ worth of storage, mainly from gigantic inefficient batteries.
Renewable Energy Vermont argues that failing to require the utilities to buy more of their product also Perpetuates Environmental Injustice. If that’s their concern, we should be building new modular nuclear plants, but that wouldn’t enrich the renewable energy lobby that’s getting rich on government-rigged deals.
John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Reprinted with permission from the Ethan Allen Institute Blog.
I think there should be amendment that requires every woke and liberal to only have electricity when the wind is blowing or the sun is shinning. Require them to have smart meters, no generator at their home, and cut them off when nature does not provide. — that will smarten them up.
Since “fossil” natural fuels are the only self generating power source they should be the only “renewable” power. If it wasn’t for oil you couldn’t produce the plastic to make solar panels and whirrly gigs. If they truly want 100% electric power they can’t do it without nuke whether modular or a new big rig at Vernon.
Here we go again.
Emotion, not Logic.
And REV now drags out “environmental injustice”.
Race and gender arguments are soon to follow, to distract from the idiocy of the plan and re-focus on
“injustice” of any kind.
REV might do well to hire race-hustler rev. al sharpton as a spokes(person).
He’ll play well in committee rooms next session.
Let them go fight and restrict as much as possible. After they starve and/or freeze to death, the survivors can start fracking and building nukes.
Whaaa? On one hand Enviro monsters demand 60% to later 100% of power be all greenie renewable.. Solar can’t do it all. But what of the other renewables? Some enviro groups are fighting Wind towers because they hurt their ridge line views, they kill innocent birds, and they say they are loud. What of hydro? There are’n many good sites with enough headwater…You need about 14 State, federal and local permits to build one $$$ (no longer feasible)…and same enviros have battled proposed smaller hydro because they say it harms fish habitat. Next? Coventry landfill produces a lot of renewable methane, but the enviros are fighting to halt any expansion, some want it shut down. Next? Some enviro groups have fought against renewable Hydro Quebec power – because they say it harms “indigenous peoples”.
I ask…if they pass a law to mandate renewable power up to 60% to 100%, but then they fight and halt so much renewable power sources…where will it come from?