From Manhattan Contrarian
Francis Menton
I claim to be the first person to call for a demonstration project to show how a zero-emission grid should work, before trying to build such a thing for the entire three hundred million population of whom we serve as involuntary guinea pigs.
Why haven't many others made such a request over the years? It was as if everyone had lost their minds. Before the climate hysteria, the idea of trying something as massive as a zero-emissions grid for the United States or even a state without first having a functioning demonstration program was completely unthinkable. But the need for a demonstration project to prove feasibility did not seem to occur to anyone, so powerful was the fear of climate apocalypse. As a result, trillions of dollars are being wasted on facilities that anyone with a brain can easily see will never deliver a zero-emissions grid, even though building them will significantly increase the cost of electricity for consumers.
So let me welcome an important new voice to those calling for a demonstration project. A new voice is Wyoming Congresswoman Harriet Hagerman. (Ms. Hagerman defeated former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney in the 2022 primary.) Here’s a photo from Ms. Hagerman’s website:
Ms. Hagerman made her demands public during a town hall in Jackson, Wyoming, last Tuesday (August 6). She suggested the ultra-liberal town of Boulder, Colorado, as a potential guinea pig. Wyoming news source WyoFile reported this story on August 7 with the headline “Hageman proposes fossil fuel-free experiment in Boulder, Colorado.” excerpt:
[Hageman] A pilot project has been proposed that would strip the progressive enclave of Boulder, Colorado, of its fossil fuel infrastructure — all of which would be replaced with windmills and solar panels on the city’s open spaces. “The pilot plan is to destroy all their gas stations,” she told a crowd of about 70 people at the Teton County Library. “We took away all their internal combustion engines – their cars. We tore down all their highways and streets because those were produced by oil and gas… “They've been a city that hasn't grown for decades. ,” Hagerman said, “so they have a lot of open space around them. We filled the open spaces with windmills and solar panels to see if we could actually manage a city of 100,000 people. [with] Without any fossil fuels.
Hagman's comments prompted a response, WyoFile reported “Applause and laughter” A supportive crowd from Jackson. However, WyoFile reporters referred the proposal to Boulder City Councilman Mark Wallach and requested comment. Wallach was not amused. Here's Wallach's reaction:
“One of the reasons people are so suspicious of politics and politicians is that people make such ridiculous suggestions.” [Wallach] said in a phone interview with WyoFile. “No one on the Boulder Council is suggesting that we move away from all fossil fuels right now,” he said. “We strive to do better – recognizing that climate change is real and we will do what we can to combat it.”
Okay Mark, what did I miss? If the good people of Bodø are demanding that the entire country move towards a zero-emissions future, why are they unwilling to stand up and prove that this goal is possible? All it takes is a simple zero-emission grid demonstration project.
And, if I may suggest to Ms. Hagerman, there is no need to punish this. Green energy advocates claim that wind and solar power will be cheaper than hydrocarbon generation, and that electric cars and electric heaters will be cheaper and better than the cars and heaters we have now. So there is no need to take away cars and gas stations by force. Just let them build the magic zero-emissions grid, and if they can do that, they will have enough electricity to power everything, and gas-powered cars and gas stations will quickly disappear.
The problem is that it is impossible to build a zero-emissions grid. However, the people of Boulder clearly think this is possible, and I'm fully willing to be proven wrong.
But as time went on, my confidence that I was right only grew. The world’s closest attempt to demonstrate a zero-emission grid continues to fail miserably. This is the Gorona del Viento project located on El Hierro Island, Canary Islands, Spain.
I've written about the El Hierro project several times, so I won't go into the full background here. It’s fair to say that El Hierro is definitely about demonstrating a zero-emission grid. The facility with five large wind turbines and a large pumped storage hydro backup facility (Gorona del Viento) was built and opened in 2014. “An island with 100% renewable energy.”ha!
This is an island with about 10,000 people. Average power demand is 4-5 MW, with peak demand around 7.5 MW. Roger Andrews conducted an independent analysis of the project for the Energy Matters website as early as 2017. They built the wind turbine with a nameplate capacity of 11.5 MW on a hillside in the trade winds area, which has some of the most favorable wind conditions in the world. The hydro storage facility has a capacity of approximately 270 MWh and an average usage time of approximately 54 to 68 hours. (By comparison, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a massive storage plan that would cost about $10 billion to build. one Storage hours. Does it sound like El Hierro doesn't have what it takes to get the job done?
Here are Gorona del Viento's latest statistics for the full year 2023. The other 65% comes from backup diesel generators. The wind/storage system's best month was July, when it provided 62% of the island's electricity. But by October, its supply was only 10%.
With so much excess generation capacity and huge storage facilities that no one in the world can replicate, how could they fail so completely? You have to ask them. I'm just reporting the statistics they publish themselves.
It's the best thing anyone can do in the world, at least so far. Boulder: It's up to you to show how to do it!
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