Unreliable Wind & Solar Deliver Increased Risk of Costly & Deadly Blackouts

Increasing reliance on wind and solar - aka the ‘unreliables’ - means, that hundreds of businesses and hundreds of thousands of homes often miss out on power when they need it most. Attempting to run on sunshine and breezes is a lot like musical chairs: a game where someone always misses out. Think wind and … Continue reading Unreliable Wind & Solar Deliver Increased Risk of Costly & Deadly Blackouts

Wind & Solar ‘Transition’ Turns Trainwreck: Australians Face More Summer Blackouts

Dry spells, spell hot summers in Australia, which spell load shedding and mass blackouts, whenever the sun sets and/or calm weather sets in. The summer of 2017/18 was a scorcher. Back then, load shedding caught power consumers short in South Australia, Victoria and NSW. Energy-hungry businesses such as aluminium smelters and even hospitals were forced … Continue reading Wind & Solar ‘Transition’ Turns Trainwreck: Australians Face More Summer Blackouts

Wind Dependency: When Calm Weather Sets In Get Ready For Major Blackouts

The heroic attempt to increasingly rely on unreliable wind power ultimately reveals itself as suicidal. Driving reliable conventional generators off the grid and hoping that they will be replaced (in substance) by chaotically intermittent wind power comes with a grab bag of consequences. Rocketing power prices follow as night follows day; the result of incorporating … Continue reading Wind Dependency: When Calm Weather Sets In Get Ready For Major Blackouts

Forget About Intermittent Wind & Solar If You Want Power As And When You Need It

As immutable laws, solar output collapses when the sun sets and wind power output collapses when calm weather sets in (and when wind speeds hit gale force and turbines automatically shut down). No amount of spin doctoring, varnishing or linguistic invention can undo them. Rafe Champion builds on those laws with his ‘iron triangle of … Continue reading Forget About Intermittent Wind & Solar If You Want Power As And When You Need It

Frozen Wind Turbines & Solar Panels Leave Thousands of Americans Freezing In The Dark

Far from threatening human existence, coal and gas have, once again, literally saved thousands of American lives. A bout of what is now known as ‘extreme weather’ demonstrates how extremely stupid it is to rely upon sunshine and breezes for power. During December’s Big Freeze, millions of America’s solar panels were carpeted in snow and … Continue reading Frozen Wind Turbines & Solar Panels Leave Thousands of Americans Freezing In The Dark

Renewables Repeat: Weather Event Wipes Out Australia’s Wind & Solar Capital (Once Again)

South Australia’s infamous Statewide blackout on 28 September 2016 was caused by wind turbines that couldn’t handle a vigorous spring storm front. Wind speeds exceeded 25m/s (90km/h), which meant turbines at the bulk of its (then 18) wind farms shut down automatically to protect themselves from catastrophic self-destruction. Metropolitan Adelaide was without power for hours, … Continue reading Renewables Repeat: Weather Event Wipes Out Australia’s Wind & Solar Capital (Once Again)

Dark Days Ahead: Wind & Solar Obsessed Germany Braces For Mass Blackouts

A mixture of dread and panic has struck with the realisation that power rationing and rocketing prices are the only thing ‘inevitable’ about the grand wind and solar transition. Germany set its path towards energy poverty, economic and social chaos, almost 20 years ago. Now, with a little help from Vlad Putin and his strategic … Continue reading Dark Days Ahead: Wind & Solar Obsessed Germany Braces For Mass Blackouts

New Dark Age: Wind & Solar Transition to State-wide Blackouts & Unaffordable Power Prices

Renewable energy rent-seekers and politicos have been gripped by a sense of palpable panic: the mob won’t tolerate blackouts for very long, and repeated power rationing will have the same incendiary effect on public sentiment. The destruction of reliable and affordable power supplies caused by chaotically intermittent and heavily subsidised wind and solar was perfectly … Continue reading New Dark Age: Wind & Solar Transition to State-wide Blackouts & Unaffordable Power Prices

Blackout Nation: Australians Latest Victims of Subsidised Wind & Solar Chaos

That Australia’s Eastern Grid is on the brink of collapse with a complete ‘system black’ on the cards comes as no surprise. The $7 billion in annual RET subsidies pocketed by wind and solar generators were designed to allow them to underbid Australia’s reliable and affordable coal-fired generators, destroying their profitability and, ultimately, driving them … Continue reading Blackout Nation: Australians Latest Victims of Subsidised Wind & Solar Chaos

Blackout Blame Shifting: Wind & Solar Collapses Responsible For Unplanned Power Outages

Wind and solar generators happily take credit when the sun’s up and the wind’s blowing, but dodge all criticism when blackouts follow sunset and/or calm weather. The standard trick is to point in every direction - except the obvious - when power rationing (euphemistically called “demand management”) or unplanned power rationing (aka widespread blackouts) follows … Continue reading Blackout Blame Shifting: Wind & Solar Collapses Responsible For Unplanned Power Outages