Engineer Guy: There is a likely economic motive for the misdirection you located. From https://www.caixinglobal.com/about-caixin/ "As an industry leader in China, Caixin takes the lead to explore overseas markets and is well positioned to serve global users with the insight, information and news report about China."
Oh yes the name-plate capacity of wind and solar is another whole issue that I hope to write about in another piece. It's a new form of "creative accounting"
One of the reasons wind and solar energy projects get rushed into is because of the hysterical fear that global warming is an existential threat, that it's caused by CO2 in the air, that fossil fuels are making it worse, and that it "must be stopped" or we're all going to die. So there's no time - no time to debate it - we have to do something right now! Never mind that CO2 percentage was higher in the past, long before oil and natural gas were discovered. Terrible mistakes are being made by not taking the time for honest and open debate. Offshore wind is worse and more expensive than any other type of energy generation, and floating offshore wind is the worst of the worst, and least tested.
And the machines wear out and need replacement in ~20 years (as do solar panels — losing 15-20% of their capacity in that time), while nuclear plants will last 80.
Oh, yes - lots of oil, and it has to be changed regularly, and sometimes there are leaks, and with all the electrical switches, sometimes there are fires - with the oil as fuel.
Thank you for your informative reporting, K.T. regarding California offshore wind. Given the lack of an inspector general at the California Public Utilities Commission to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, the shenanigans you document will likely escape any legal sanctions. The citizens of the state of California and the environment will pay the price for such malfeasance.
Thanks for that insight, Gene. The CPUC is rotten through and through, and the CEC goes along for the ride. Very sad and environmentally damaging state of affairs for the Golden State.
The CEC adopted a plan to provide enough power for 25,000,000 homes, JUST from offshore wind. Did they check to see that California currently has a grand total of 14,400,000 housing units, with about 13.2M occupied households? Or that the “progressive” policies of the state are accelerating the relocation of those households to other states, with attendant declining population? California has lost total population most years since 2017, in spite of the growing immigrant population. That the regressive geniuses in Sacramento have managed to cause people to actually LEAVE the most attractive natural living environment in the country is all the evidence anyone needs as to the efficacy of their policies.
The stupidity of the CEC’s plan is extraordinary. Offshore wind is being proven, right now in multiple places, to be wildly expensive, even before accounting for the multitudinous additional costs of accommodating intermittent power sources into the grid — which are part of the cost of said sources, but are not accounted for as such in the climate propaganda.
The “environmental” lobby (NRDC, Sierra Club, etc) is directly responsible for untold billions of tons of CO2 in the atmosphere that would not be there were it not for their monumentally misguided opposition to nuclear energy. And we’re now listening to their propaganda about wind and solar??????? When will we wake up?
I remain optimistic that Substack articles written by authors such as K.T. Lynn, Robert Bryce, Stephen Heims, Tuco's Child, The Breakthrough Institute, Energy Bad Boys, and many others will assist in the necessary awakening in California.
I'm grateful for Substack. Far too many social media platforms only permit "preferred narratives." I've noted the political advocacy of German Greens is partially funded via German taxpayers through the Heinrich Böll Foundation (hbs.) Here's an anti-nuclear power example post: "Renewables replace nuclear and lower emissions simultaneously," Craig Morris, 20 Nov 2019, Energy Transition - The Global Energiewende blog. https://energytransition.org/2019/11/renewables-replace-nuclear-and-lower-emissions-simultaneously/
Building OSW in California/Oregon will be even more destructive than on the East Coast, because the waters are much deeper and will therefore need larger floating platforms, thicker cables that dredge the seabed making it uninhabitable for wildlife, etc. It's a travesty.
Nice work. As usual, intellectually captured people support engineered outcomes even while ignoring their own states positions, ie nature conservation as a moral imperative.
The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) in their environmental impact statement regarding coastal offshore wind generation in the Atlantic Ocean indicated the project would yield *no* measurable impact regarding climate change.
Elected and appointed Democrats have a long track record of ignoring citizens to do what they want and what is best for their major financial donors and for political power. Why are Californians voting for people who have wrecked their economy and environment in myriad ways? Maybe brainwashing by the mainstream media, education and ignorant Hollywood figures has been highly effective.
It's mind-boggling. There are definitely people in California trying to correct course, but it's not enough, and unfortunately all the unelected bureaucratic orgs like CARB, CEC, CPUC, are all captured by the "green" agenda.
You’re absolutely correct! Let’s vote them into national office to make us all like California. I think a harris/ newsome ticket would do wonders for our masters and enemies.
They know they can get away with it because electricity is a necessity of life. As I note above, there is absolute power vested in the CPUC - and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This article about solar and wind power CAPACITY exceeding coal’s is a master class in misleading the reader. It says NOTHING about the actual power use. Secret inside tip. What is the capacity of solar at midnight?? https://www.caixinglobal.com/2024-07-26/chinas-wind-solar-power-capacity-tops-coal-for-first-time-102220293.html
Engineer Guy: There is a likely economic motive for the misdirection you located. From https://www.caixinglobal.com/about-caixin/ "As an industry leader in China, Caixin takes the lead to explore overseas markets and is well positioned to serve global users with the insight, information and news report about China."
Unfortunately, the same misdirection happens in US with “reliable” news outlets.
The Chinese media outlet seems to have a mercantilist bent.
Oh yes the name-plate capacity of wind and solar is another whole issue that I hope to write about in another piece. It's a new form of "creative accounting"
It’s actually not creative accounting; it’s lying.
Yup!
One of the reasons wind and solar energy projects get rushed into is because of the hysterical fear that global warming is an existential threat, that it's caused by CO2 in the air, that fossil fuels are making it worse, and that it "must be stopped" or we're all going to die. So there's no time - no time to debate it - we have to do something right now! Never mind that CO2 percentage was higher in the past, long before oil and natural gas were discovered. Terrible mistakes are being made by not taking the time for honest and open debate. Offshore wind is worse and more expensive than any other type of energy generation, and floating offshore wind is the worst of the worst, and least tested.
And don't forget that wind turbines also depend on oil as a lubricant. It's all insane.
And the machines wear out and need replacement in ~20 years (as do solar panels — losing 15-20% of their capacity in that time), while nuclear plants will last 80.
Oh, yes - lots of oil, and it has to be changed regularly, and sometimes there are leaks, and with all the electrical switches, sometimes there are fires - with the oil as fuel.
There is no time for a rational examination of the set of hypotheses. The subsidy-seekers are very impatient to obtain their subsidies.
The subsidy-seekers are there only because of the idiotic subsidy policies that are in place.
I believe in many cases, the subsidy seekers lobbied to either establish and/or maintain the subsidies.
Thank you for your informative reporting, K.T. regarding California offshore wind. Given the lack of an inspector general at the California Public Utilities Commission to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, the shenanigans you document will likely escape any legal sanctions. The citizens of the state of California and the environment will pay the price for such malfeasance.
Thanks for that insight, Gene. The CPUC is rotten through and through, and the CEC goes along for the ride. Very sad and environmentally damaging state of affairs for the Golden State.
Great article, thank you. I think you meant “wanton”.
Indeed. Lol.
The CEC adopted a plan to provide enough power for 25,000,000 homes, JUST from offshore wind. Did they check to see that California currently has a grand total of 14,400,000 housing units, with about 13.2M occupied households? Or that the “progressive” policies of the state are accelerating the relocation of those households to other states, with attendant declining population? California has lost total population most years since 2017, in spite of the growing immigrant population. That the regressive geniuses in Sacramento have managed to cause people to actually LEAVE the most attractive natural living environment in the country is all the evidence anyone needs as to the efficacy of their policies.
The stupidity of the CEC’s plan is extraordinary. Offshore wind is being proven, right now in multiple places, to be wildly expensive, even before accounting for the multitudinous additional costs of accommodating intermittent power sources into the grid — which are part of the cost of said sources, but are not accounted for as such in the climate propaganda.
The “environmental” lobby (NRDC, Sierra Club, etc) is directly responsible for untold billions of tons of CO2 in the atmosphere that would not be there were it not for their monumentally misguided opposition to nuclear energy. And we’re now listening to their propaganda about wind and solar??????? When will we wake up?
I remain optimistic that Substack articles written by authors such as K.T. Lynn, Robert Bryce, Stephen Heims, Tuco's Child, The Breakthrough Institute, Energy Bad Boys, and many others will assist in the necessary awakening in California.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gene! There's a wonderful community here on Substack exposing the truth of the "energy transition."
I'm grateful for Substack. Far too many social media platforms only permit "preferred narratives." I've noted the political advocacy of German Greens is partially funded via German taxpayers through the Heinrich Böll Foundation (hbs.) Here's an anti-nuclear power example post: "Renewables replace nuclear and lower emissions simultaneously," Craig Morris, 20 Nov 2019, Energy Transition - The Global Energiewende blog. https://energytransition.org/2019/11/renewables-replace-nuclear-and-lower-emissions-simultaneously/
An Initiative of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. © 2012 - 2024. The Heinrich Böll Foundation receives German taxpayer funded subsidies. The hbs has elegant offices in Berlin. The hbs also has offices in the West Bank of Palestine, Moscow, Russia, Beijing, China, and Washington, DC. Many of the policies of the hbs are socialist policies.
I desperately hope you’re right!!
P.S. Don’t forget Doomberg. Excellent work there.
Building OSW in California/Oregon will be even more destructive than on the East Coast, because the waters are much deeper and will therefore need larger floating platforms, thicker cables that dredge the seabed making it uninhabitable for wildlife, etc. It's a travesty.
Nice work. As usual, intellectually captured people support engineered outcomes even while ignoring their own states positions, ie nature conservation as a moral imperative.
Indeed. None of this will do anything about climate change.
The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) in their environmental impact statement regarding coastal offshore wind generation in the Atlantic Ocean indicated the project would yield *no* measurable impact regarding climate change.
These wonderful machines should be stationed between La Jolla and Malibu.
They eventually want to put these things on the ports of Long Beach and LA, so they might just get that wish.
Another example of government picking winners(or losers) to which much public money is directed, until they run out of “other people’s money”.
Yep!
Elected and appointed Democrats have a long track record of ignoring citizens to do what they want and what is best for their major financial donors and for political power. Why are Californians voting for people who have wrecked their economy and environment in myriad ways? Maybe brainwashing by the mainstream media, education and ignorant Hollywood figures has been highly effective.
It's mind-boggling. There are definitely people in California trying to correct course, but it's not enough, and unfortunately all the unelected bureaucratic orgs like CARB, CEC, CPUC, are all captured by the "green" agenda.
You’re absolutely correct! Let’s vote them into national office to make us all like California. I think a harris/ newsome ticket would do wonders for our masters and enemies.
K.T., your aim is true. California Environmentalism has been biased for a couple of decades.
Thanks, Stephen. It is unconscionable what they are doing to California.
They know they can get away with it because electricity is a necessity of life. As I note above, there is absolute power vested in the CPUC - and absolute power corrupts absolutely.