Among their deluded repertoire of mantras, wind and sun worshippers cite the ‘death of coal’ (and all fossil fuels) as an article of faith. We’re repeatedly bombarded in the mainstream press about how sunshine and breezes (nature’s wonder fuels) will soon replace conventional fossil-fuelled electricity generators, altogether.
Indeed, were also told that this so-called ‘transition’ is inevitable, just like the Internet.
Except, of course, the evidence shows it all to be a monumental myth, and little more than deranged propaganda.
Australia has squandered more than $20 billion on renewable energy subsidies, so far (with another $40 billion to be squandered between now and 2031) and yet wind and solar’s contribution to energy demand remains risible, and more like an accounting rounding error.
When the sun sets (as it tends to do, even in sunbaked Australia) and the wind stops blowing, or blows too hard, the collective contribution from wind and solar is, of course, absolutely NIL.
All the while, irrespective of the weather, somewhere in the system, millions of megawatts are being generated by that ‘evil duo’, coal and gas: keeping patients alive in hospitals; keeping air conditioners running and preventing grannies from expiring in Australia’s blistering summers; keeping businesses and whole industries ticking along, providing meaningful employment; and generally powering everything that people demand as their birthright.
If the Energy Minister, Josh Frydenberg’s latest brain fart – providing massive subsidies to all electric cars – takes off (which we strongly doubt), those vehicles will be properly described as ‘coal-fired cars’, simply because Australia gets more than 85% of its electricity from coal. And that metric isn’t about to change, anytime soon.
With the same theme in mind, here’s No Tricks Zone tallying up the pathetic performance from wind and solar and comparing it with the ever dependable, ever reliable efforts of fossil fuels.
Green Energy Revolution A Flop: Fossil Fuels’ Share Of Total Energy Use Unchanged in 40 Years!
No Tricks Zone
Pierre Gosselin
12 January 2018
Quartz.com here presents an interesting chart which tells us the green energy revolution of the past 30 years has resulted in practically nothing. It’s been a flop. Fossil fuels remain as wildly popular as ever.
has risen since James Hansen’s 1988 testimony
In the 1970s the big worry was that fossil fuels would soon run out, and so we should “use them wisely”. But in the 1980s the risk changed to one of an overheating planet, and so we should not use them at all.
Higher than 1988, when James Hansen testified
We can all recall a sweating James Hansen’s 1988 stage-crafted testimony before Congress, warning that increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations would lead to spiraling global warming. And unless action was taken urgently, the ice caps would soon melt and the earth would sizzle.
Countries as a result mobilized 100s of billions of dollars to eliminate the use of these “dangerous, climate-killing” fossil fuels.
Today for all that money you’d think that tremendous progress in reducing fossil fuels would be the result. You couldn’t be more wrong.
The sad truth is that after hundreds of billions spent, and trillions committed, fossil fuels’ share of total energy consumption globally has in fact risen since Hansen’s doomsday testimony, see the figure above!
Bringing the dead back to life
What may be a surprise to many is that whenever we burn fossil fuels, which originate primarily from ancient plants that died and were naturally sequestered in the earth as “fossils” eons ago, we are in fact taking this once live carbon and recirculating it back into the current, living ecosystem. The result: More carbon-based life is getting produced today. The planet is greening. Now the earth is teeming with more life than it has seen in millions of years. That’s fundamental science.
So if you want the system to have more life, just add carbon to it. One way is to add old carbon (by burning fossil fuels) that’s been locked away in the ground.
On the other hand if you want to limit life, then remove the carbon from the eco-system. Funny how the alarmists claim to be worried about life being under threat on earth, yet are striving to remove its very source.
No Tricks Zone
STOP THESE THINGS 
Humans and pretty much every other living thing on this planet are carbon based life forms. Without atmospheric carbon dioxide humans and all the other carbon based life forms would die. We should be aware also that the current level of atmospheric CO2, at around 400 ppm, is low by geological standards. Past eras of higher atmospheric CO2 were often periods of prolific growth in the biosphere. CO2 is essential to plants, it is fundamental to the photosynthesis process, it promotes not only strong growth but also improves plants utilisation of water. That commercial greenhouses often boost CO2 levels to the 1000-1500 ppm range to improve growth should tell us something.
The current cargo-cult delusions that suggest humans should forego the many life improving benefits our sequestered fossil fuel riches has to rank among the worst of attacks on human well being to be brought on by the innate propensity of many of us to believe in the voodoo being sold by modern day “climate change” snake oil salesmen.
Regardless of how our electricity is being generated, huge amounts of it are now being wasted as “transmission losses” in the massive flows of electricity between the states. The root of this sad development is all due to the “renewables” madness.
Ideally, as once was the case, electricity should be generated within each state and as close to the major consumption zones as technically feasible.
By adding these new transmission losses to those incurred in charging and discharging the inappropriate batteries now popping up everywhere, and those incurred by pumped hydro, it becomes clearly apparent just how much of a costly mess our politician designed electricity system has become.
Ten strategically located nuclear power stations could drain this swamp and deliver us what we truly need – plentiful, cheap, reliable, and emissions free electricity.