WRAL reports about the fact that Duke Energy is seeking permits for new natural gas plants in Person County.
This is happening after government pushed the utility to shut down other natural gas plants elsewhere in the state. And this was a uniparty endeavor– i.e., both socialists and establishment Republicans were behind various carbon reduction schemes.
It seems like such a waste.
This just goes to show that stupidity is abundant in both parties .We have got coal , so let’s use it.
Among those carbon reduction schemes are wind and solar are both essentially obsolete technologies. There is a reason why only the very rich or the very adventurous sail across oceans: the wind is unreliable, and at best produces relatively little energy. Nevertheless, liberals have concocted fantasies whereby all of our electricity, or perhaps our entire economy, will be powered by those fickle sources.
Land use constraints are the most basic reason why wind and solar are inexorably destined to fail.
Because wind and solar produce so little energy per square mile, an enormous amount of land would have to be devoted to panels and turbines if we seriously tried to get all of our present electricity needs from those weak sources.
For one thing, no one places wind farms in Washington, D.C. or midtown Manhattan. Nor are wind projects slated for Long Island, Marin County, or near any valuable suburban developments. It is rural America that bears the burden of many square miles of wind and solar installation.
So why does the “green dream” persist? In part, because it is inflicted on children from elementary school on. But mostly because there is a great deal of money in it.
Thanks, Fred, for your wise words.
I suppose we might be able to justify building new gas plants if the old plants that were retired were so old and inefficient and broken down that switching to newer facilities might be necessary or otherwise a net gain. But I don’t see that case being made.
Well said, Fred. It is debatable whether wind and solar, properly analyzed and considering all aspects, are an environmental benefit at all. Natural gas is remarkably clean and has a fairly small footprint.