One of the most obvious falsehoods promoted by the renewable energy sector is the promise of “cheaper energy.” On the contrary, consumers have seen prices rise whenever renewables begin to take firm hold of the energy grid. Energynow.ca has published an analysis by Yogi Schulz that, in fact, shows large-scale replacement of natural gas electricity with solar and wind renewable electricity generation is about 4 times more expensive for consumers.
Read that again.
He exposes dubious claims of green corporations such as forecasts for solar, which are problematic because they:
- Do not take solar generation intermittency into account. Solar electricity cannot achieve supply continuity, which every customer needs, while natural gas can.
- Assume that the price of natural gas will increase in the future. This assumption may be wrong given the current ultra-low natural gas price and a modestly rising price forecast.
When it comes to wind energy, Schulz says that sector’s forecasts do not take wind generation intermittency into account and are thus problematic because they:
- Do not take wind generation intermittency into account. Wind is a non-dispatchable generator in electricity terminology, while natural gas is dispatchable.
- Do not consider recent increases due to turbine reliability issues and operating costs. These trends suggest that actual cost experience will be above the median line in the chart above.
- Assume that the price of natural gas will increase in the future. This assumption may be wrong given the current ultra-low natural gas price and a modestly rising price forecast.
Shulz concludes that the evangelists for solar and wind renewable electricity generation skate around the high-cost problem with one or more of the following misleading approaches:
- Simply ignore the intermittency and non-dispatchable problems and hope the audience won’t notice.
- Showcase a small electricity distribution grid with unique sunshine or wind characteristics where solar and wind renewable electricity generation can be effective. Then claim that these results are more widely applicable when they’re not.
- Insist that adding CCUS to natural gas to reduce GHG emissions eliminates the cost advantage compared to solar or wind. CCUS doubles the cost of natural gas. It does not increase it 4 times.
- Recommend that solar and wind generation not exceed 10% of the capacity of the electricity distribution grid to which they’re attached. That eliminates the need for electricity storage but achieves only 10% of the energy transition goal.
- Suggest pumped hydro storage as an alternative to industrial-scale battery storage. Unfortunately, that alternative is no cheaper than batteries.
Indeed, consumer rates have soared in the wake of so-called “green” energy, whether in Germany, Ontario, or Alberta, leading Premier Danielle Smith to conclude, “This is what happens when ideology runs the power grid.”1
To read the full analysis with charts, go to Energynow.ca.
Wind Concerns is a collaboration of citizens of the Lakeland Alberta region against proposed wind turbine projects.