WIND PROBLEMS DO NOT BLOW AWAY
Tuco's Child also reports that wind turbine blade waste will exceed 43 million tons/year by 2050.
Major offshore wind projects in New York have been canceled.
U.S. wind generation declined in 2023 for the first time since the 1990s despite the addition of 6.2 gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity in 2023. Power Plant Operations Report shows that U.S. wind generation in 2023 totaled 425,235 gigawatt hours (GWh), 2.1% less than in 2022. For a list of wind and solar facilities rejected by NIMBYs, see Robert Bryce's Renewable Rejection Database. See also Bryce's "Wind/Solar/Al-Energy Subsidies to Cost Federal Taxpayers $425 Billion Between Now and 2033."
UTILITIES
A 2022 California energy bill has households paying a fixed monthly charge in exchange for lower rates for each kilowatt hour used. Opponents call the legislation a financial gift to investor-owned utilities. Californians who use little electricity pay more, while people who use lots of electricity save money. The policy signals "that conservation doesn't count," said Environmental Working Group's Ken Cook. The new law's inspiration came from a 2021 paper written by UC/Berkeley's Energy Institute (partly funded by utilities). The paper detailed how costs for building "renewable" energy plants, burying power lines to reduce wildfire risks, and compensating fire victims increased electric rates--and discouraged Californians from buying EVs and electric appliances.
For a deeper dive, please read my Substack, "Discovering Power's Traps: a primer for electricity users."
Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling (Energy Bad Boys), "Green-PlatingTM the Grid: How Utilities Exploit the 'Energy Transition' to Rake in Record Profits."
AI
Amy Luers, et al., "Will AI accelerate or delay the race to net-zero emissions? As AI transforms the global economy, researchers need to explore scenarios to assess how it can help, rather than harm, the climate." Nature, April 2024. This article says that AI's energy costs are a small percentage of global energycosts--but doesn't count the energy (or mining, water, or indigenous community impacts) involved in manufacturing devices and operating AI's infrastructure. The push is for standards--a long slow, industry-run process--not actions. Power grid outages are considered 'local' problems" without recognizing data centers' global impacts.
"Indigenous peoples rush to stop 'false climate solutions' ahead of next international climate meeting: COP29 could make carbon markets permanent. Indigenous leaders are calling for a moratorium before it's too late." Maria Parazo Rose, April 22, 2024.
Matteo Wong, "The AI Revolution is Crushing Thousands of Languages: English is the internet's primary tongue--which may have unexpected consequences as generative AI becomes central to daily life," The Atlantic, April, 2024.
Karen Hao, "AI is Taking Water from the Desert: New data centers are springing up every week. Can the Earth sustain them?" The Atlantic, March 1, 2024.
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