By Ken Whiton, a REP member in
New Mexico, published May 27, 2010 in the Albuquerque Journal
In
view of conflicting claims about alternative energy sources, it's time
for a forthright discussion of the efficacy of wind and solar energy
and an honest examination of our current over-dependence on fossil
fuels.
Let's address some of these claims:
1. Solar and wind take up a lot of land. Indeed, they can. But what we
don't hear is that the same land that supports wind and solar
installations can also support crops and livestock. Wind installations
are also quiet, as anyone who has stood at the base of a wind tower as
I have can testify.
Oil, gas and coal installations are decidedly unfriendly to agriculture
and wildlife. One has only to go a short distance off the main highways
in New Mexico's oil and gas patches and coal strip-mining operations to
see extensive environmental destruction. These areas are dangerous to
livestock and other animals and cannot be used by farmers, ranchers or
sportsmen.
Any discussion of land use must include such topics as mountaintop
removal coal operations in West Virginia and coal strip mines across
America. Let's not forget that oil takes up a lot of acres, too,
especially when oil slicks the size of small European countries spread
across marine waters and shores.
Solar and wind installations do not create oil spills, air and water
pollution, or pipeline and refinery explosions. The Exxon Valdez and
the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico are not the result of wind and solar
power generation.
People don't like high-voltage transmission lines and neither do power
companies. That's why solar and wind installations, like the ones in
New Mexico, are sited close to existing lines.
2. Wind energy doesn't substantially reduce CO2 emissions. This
argument is rubbish. Every kilowatt of electricity generated by wind
and solar means one less kilowatt generated by burning something.
Yes, wind is an intermittent resource that requires backup.
Backup is usually provided by gas, which emits half the CO2 of coal.
That is what wind replaces.
Contrary to what some assert, coal-fired generation is not
used for backup because it's a 24/7 baseload resource that doesn't lend
itself to the quick-on, quick-off generation characteristics of
gas-fired turbines. And in some cases, hydro can supply backup.
3. The diversity of the global oil market works in our favor. We are
told that 20 countries produce about 1 million barrels of oil per day,
but very large reserves and swing production capacity are concentrated
in the Persian Gulf. Our high oil demand puts a floor under oil prices,
enriching Iran and bankrolling its bomb-building factories.
4. Green energy is subsidized. Yes, it is. This is the "Catch 22" of
fossil fuels vs. solar and wind.
Many fossil fuel advocates are quick to complain about subsidies to
solar and wind and brag about the low cost of oil. They should be
honest. All forms of energy, including fossil fuels, are subsidized.
The difference is, unlike solar and wind, subsidies to fossil fuels are
hidden.
No one talks about the billions of dollars in subsidies collected by
fossil fuels every year, such as depletion allowances, royalty relief,
underpayment of royalties, foreign tax credits and the expense of
ensuring the safety of oil supply routes.
The question we should be asking ourselves is: Why are we still giving
shiploads of taxpayer dollars to a mature industry enjoying record
profits? It's time for them to learn how to get by on their own,
without government welfare.
5. We should give up on green jobs. Some take a dark view of the
possibilities for green jobs in America. They throw up their hands and
give up on the American worker, American technological prowess and
American entrepreneurial spirit, and decide America can't compete in
the global market for solar and wind manufacturing. Fortunately, the
rest of us are more optimistic about what America can accomplish in the
world.
Closing thoughts:
Fans of internal combustion engines claim that the batteries necessary
for electric cars will make us dependent on China for rare earth
minerals. They overlook the large deposit in Mountain Pass, Calif., and
new discoveries in Australia.
Others disparage the electric car saying, "It is the next big thing —
and it always will be." That seems to imply that there can be no
substitute for gasoline — ever. If we adopt that approach, their
prediction will be fulfilled: Oil dependence will keep us at the mercy
of dysfunctional, hostile regimes that wish our country ill — and it
always will.
