This comment can be seen at WUWT today, under another article by Eric Worrall (archived here). (Eric was protesting California's intent to modernise the energy sector. He prefers smog and dangerous climate change.)Before I post the comment, you may have read how Las Vegas has joined other cities in the USA and shifted to 100% renewables, which is is expected to save the city an annual $5 million in operating costs. It's the city that's shifted, not all of the strip. On the official Las Vegas blog, it was announced that:
This morning, Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman and NV Energy Senior Vice President of Customer Operations Pat Egan announced that we are the first large city in the country and one of the first major customers in Nevada to be served exclusively with renewable energy. We are now one of the few cities of the world that can say all the power we use comes from a green source. In partnership with NV Energy, every streetlight, city park, community center, fire station, service yard and public building owned by the city, totaling 140 facilities, will be 100 percent powered by renewable energy.All the power used by the city itself now comes exclusively from renewable energy. While that doesn't mean that all the power used on the strip or in households come from renewable energy, it's a big step forward. On Snopes, it was pointed out that some businesses on the strip are following suit because it makes good business sense.
Below is the comment that prompted me to write this article. Ronald Abate wrote how people have moved to Las Vegas, presumably he thinks it's to get away from clean energy!
December 27, 2016 at 7:45 pmAs an aside, I recall the Enron scandal, and California's electricity crisis. This was caused by manipulation of the power supply by corrupt suppliers, following partial deregulation by a Republican governor and related to the changing Californian climate - to drought. It seems deniers have limited recall.
California’s loss will be other states gain. I meet many people here in Las Vegas who have migrated away from the insanity that is California. As long as the rest of the nation does not have to bailout the California’s stupidity, I’m fine with them doing whatever they want. That is why our federated republic must remain. New York State bans fracking. That’s OK, because it gives the other states more opportunity. The Left is absolutely great at wealth destruction. Just think what the NYS fracking ban has done to real estate values for those properties that contain the potential for hydrocarbon extraction. That is wealth destruction writ large.
Renewables create jobs
Eric tried, but failed, to link to an article in the New York Times. Renewables are creating jobs and are a boost to California's economy. It is reverting to a smog economy that would harm the USA. From the NY Times article:
"The clean-air initiatives here have become an intricate part of the economy and a source of growth and jobs. Federal cutbacks would no doubt hurt the state to some extent, but analysts say the very energy-efficiency policies that may soon come under attack by the new administration have been a significant factor in California’s economic reversal.
“If the president-elect and his administration work to undermine our climate leadership, they will hurt our economy,” Mr. de Leon said. “They will kill jobs. And ultimately, they will hurt the economy of the United States. We are 13 percent of the overall G.D.P.”
More thoughts from WUWT, and waging war
If you've not had enough, here are some more "thoughts" from empty-headed deniers and conspiracy theorists at WUWT.
I don't know what Scottish Sceptic was thinking. Anyone? It could look as if he might have finally accepted science, but I doubt it. Both Scotland and California, like the rest of the world, are "behind the science" and already accept it.
December 27, 2016 at 5:20 pm
Sorry to hear this Anthony, it seems that California like Scotland is a hotbed of climate madness and that both these areas will be dragged kicking and screaming behind the science – until some unknown date in the future, when they finally realise there is no choice but to accept it.
Many WUWT-ers thoughts are even less intelligible. fobdangerclose wrote:
December 27, 2016 at 5:49 pm
California to become the liberal democrat commie’s final solution to make California into one giant Detroit gang ruined combat zone!
MarkG wants Donald to build a wall around the state with the biggest economy in the USA. That's known as "cutting off your nose to spite your face":
December 27, 2016 at 7:12 pm
The problem is that Californians leave California too, and take their insane policy demands with them. Trump doesn’t just need to build a wall around Mexico, he needs to build one around California, too.
Curious George wants to send the Californian governor to Mars:
December 27, 2016 at 7:35 pm
Governor Moonbeam is entitled to his own climate. How about Mars? Not too hot. He should take a plenty of acolytes.
Walter Sobchak doesn't like democracy. He wants war:
December 27, 2016 at 8:21 pm
We should expel California from the United States, and then declare war on it.
Top photo from Southern Company, courtesy of SunPower.
Anthony Watts has solar panels. I presume he gets an exemption from accusations of "climate madness" due to his work on behalf of the fossil fuel industry.
ReplyDeleteThis is a curious situation, because I was about to post that global warming deniers/proponents of fossil energy should have the courage of their convictions and sign a statutary declaration that they will never avail themselves of renewable energy... unless they're prepared to accept that they'd have to pay fines comensurate with the damage that their use of fossil energy and their refutation of science has caused the planet.
DeleteAfter all, to do quietly slink over to renewables at any point in the future would be rank hypocrisy, would it not?
Nah, Bernard. That's a pretty easy one for them to rationalise:
Delete"I've been forced to switch to renewables because those poxy alarmists made fossil fuels too expensive with their poxy carbon tax!".
I think that you're on to something metzo.
Delete:-(
Watts use of solar panels is a libertarian thing. Lots of Tea party folk do the same as they consider the power company to be a quasi-government agency. They could care less about clean energy.
DeleteWell whatever complexion you want to put on it, if they are participating in the clean energy revolution, WUWT should be admitting there are benefits to clean energy rather than parroting the fossil fuel industry position.
DeleteMarkG might be onto something.
ReplyDeleteAs well as building a wall of solar panels between the USA and Mexico as per this detailed proposal, they could also build one around parts of California.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/solar-panels-us-mexico_us_5857fa6be4b0390447097e56
"Just think what the NYS fracking ban has done to real estate values"
ReplyDeleteFracking is generally pretty bad for residential real estate values. I guess those must not be the real estate values I'm supposed to think about...
California is geographically and economically on par with the UK. We have oil and gas refineries, sea ports, good weather and produce more food than any other state. We also have a huge tech sector, are the center of the entertainment industry and send more money to the federal government than we get back. If the rest of the US expelled us from the union I think we could get along somehow.
ReplyDeleteYou must have a different definition of "good weather" than the general readership here.
DeleteNot quite enough rain of late, but unless you're a farmer that's not really a problem. Really can't beat the climate unless you prefer the tropics or Siberia.
DeleteYeah, if you want to be on a par with the UK you'll need a lot more drizzle.
DeleteInstant Desertification Zone.
DeleteResponsible parents should move northeast now.
The lack of rain in recent years dos indeed suck but it is not an insurmountable problem. My point was that if Trump's followers wanted CA out of the USA (never going to happen but for the sake of argument) it would do more harm to them than to us. CA is huge and has a rich diverse economy. Housing prices are obscene but that is because of high demand thanks to the good economy and steady increase in population. CA will be just fine the next 4 years no matter what Trump and his goons get up to.
DeleteSou, the energy de-reg was indeed signed by a Republican governor, but it was passed by a strongly Democratic legislature via the infamous "Steve Peace death march." Peace is otherwise (in)famous as the perp of the "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" franchise. Welcome to California!
ReplyDeleteThat said, the reason the energy crisis/rip-off got so bad was because Democratic gov Davis failed to intervene until it was too late.
IIRC there was no particular drought connection, although drought can reduce hydropower production.
Lost Wages will be at 100% solar quite soon given the plethora of solar existing and planned nearby, with enough wind and hydro for load-balancing without having to rely much if at all on gas back-up.
Tony is sad and funny.
It was an off-peak time of year, there was no drought, there were no supply disruptions for fossil or nuclear fuels.
DeleteEnron figured out you could restrict supply by taking California plants offline for "maintenance" and then the spot price would spike. And then it could pump in power from Nevada and Oregon at hugely inflated prices and laugh all the way to the bank (but even then that wasn't enough, they felt a need to cook the books to pump the stock price even higher).
That made it an interstate issue in the moment (albeit triggered from in-state policies). The FERC under Bush refused to even investigate.
The lines from Nevada and Oregon weren't thick enough to bring in enough power, so there were demand reductions (industrial plants shutting down) and brownouts. The prices were unsustainable, so the utilities effectively went bankrupt. No skin off Enron's back.