Biden's green energy production mirage

[Scott Downey]

Joe Biden’s Green Energy Mirage

President Biden recently announced ambitious plans to install huge offshore industrial wind facilities along America’s Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coasts. His goal is to churn out 30 gigawatts (30,000 megawatts) of wind capacity by 2030, ensuring the U.S. “leads by example” in fighting the “climate crisis.”

Granted “30 by 2030” is clever PR. But what are the realities?

The only existing U.S. offshore wind operation features five 6-MW turbines off Rhode Island. Their combined capacity (what they could generate if they worked full-bore, round the clock 24/7) is 30 MW. Mr. Biden is planning 1,000 times more offshore electricity, perhaps split three ways: 10,000 MW for each coast.

While that might sound impressive, it isn’t. It means total wind capacity for the entire Atlantic coast, under Biden’s plan, would only meet three-fourths of the peak summertime electricity needed to power New York City. Again, this assumes the blades are fully spinning 24/7. In reality, such turbines would be lucky to be operating a top capacity half the time. Even less as storms and salt spray corrode the turbines, year after year.

 

[Van]

Joe Biden’s Green Energy Mirage

President Biden recently announced ambitious plans to install huge offshore industrial wind facilities along America’s Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coasts. His goal is to churn out 30 gigawatts (30,000 megawatts) of wind capacity by 2030, ensuring the U.S. “leads by example” in fighting the “climate crisis.”

Granted “30 by 2030” is clever PR. But what are the realities?

The only existing U.S. offshore wind operation features five 6-MW turbines off Rhode Island. Their combined capacity (what they could generate if they worked full-bore, round the clock 24/7) is 30 MW. Mr. Biden is planning 1,000 times more offshore electricity, perhaps split three ways: 10,000 MW for each coast.

While that might sound impressive, it isn’t. It means total wind capacity for the entire Atlantic coast, under Biden’s plan, would only meet three-fourths of the peak summertime electricity needed to power New York City. Again, this assumes the blades are fully spinning 24/7. In reality, such turbines would be lucky to be operating a top capacity half the time. Even less as storms and salt spray corrode the turbines, year after year.

Yes, the dirty little secret is that wind and solar do not operate when the wind does not blow or the sun does not shine. A nuclear power plant usually runs about 75% of the time. Fossil fuel plants about the same. But wind turbines have a capacity factor near 20%, and even the big new ones only have a factor of 25%.

Thus the 30 gigawatts of installed wind capacity would produce about 6 gigawatts of power on average. Ask yourself, how much more installed capacity are we expected to need by 2030? Maybe 300 gigawatts of installed capacity. At least 293 gigawatts of nuclear and fossil fuel plants will also be needed.

 

[RighteousnessTemperance&]

It there’s one thing I’ve learned to agree with over the years, totalitarian regimes do not lie. Their media arms make that perfectly clear. But if you need help hearing, their "security" forces are available 24/7… comrade. You may avail yourself. Deal? Green and New!