Archived copies of the article (podcast wrapper): [archive.today](Trump’s Bizarre Rants Over Wind Power Are More Ominous Than You Think) web.archive.org
Wind and solar plants should be in areas where they make the most sense. You cannot create a resilient electrical grid with just solar and wind. Sorry, but there is no economical way to do that. Even with gas plants as back up, this is also not economical, because you need redundant power plants to fill in the gaps left by renewables. Take a look at Germany. No more cheap Russian natural gas. They shut down their nuclear power plants, and now they will have to import energy from France's nuclear power plants. Wind and solar are not reliable energy for many places in Europe and North America. Transmission lines need to built which cost a lot of money, and they are a liability that needs to be replaced every 40 years. In the US, a state like Texas does not need solar or wind. It is a state with plenty of natural gas and constant generation is necessary for profitability. Yes, Texas leads in renewables within, but it doesn't need it for energy.
This is not true at all. At best, renewables can manage a streak of 5 hours a day or 10 hours a day if lucky. I am sure you read, "This country ran on 100% renewable energy." The catch is, it is not the norm, but lucky weather. I live in Texas. Texas ran on 100% renewables for several hours. That is no reassurance when a cold snap, cloudy weather, or stagnant wind. With fossil fuels, you can adjust the supply according to forecasted demand. You can't do that with wind and solar. Batteries make a very tiny portion of the grid infrastructure as well. They're not replacing natural gas plants anytime soon. At the same time, government subsidies supplant reliable energy with unreliable energy. I am not against green energy when it is applied correctly, but you can't run an entire grid on renewables and not expect complications.
Wind and solar plants should be in areas where they make the most sense. You cannot create a resilient electrical grid with just solar and wind. Sorry, but there is no economical way to do that. Even with gas plants as back up, this is also not economical, because you need redundant power plants to fill in the gaps left by renewables. Take a look at Germany. No more cheap Russian natural gas. They shut down their nuclear power plants, and now they will have to import energy from France's nuclear power plants. Wind and solar are not reliable energy for many places in Europe and North America. Transmission lines need to built which cost a lot of money, and they are a liability that needs to be replaced every 40 years. In the US, a state like Texas does not need solar or wind. It is a state with plenty of natural gas and constant generation is necessary for profitability. Yes, Texas leads in renewables within, but it doesn't need it for energy.
People still saying that, despite entire countries running on it already?
This is not true at all. At best, renewables can manage a streak of 5 hours a day or 10 hours a day if lucky. I am sure you read, "This country ran on 100% renewable energy." The catch is, it is not the norm, but lucky weather. I live in Texas. Texas ran on 100% renewables for several hours. That is no reassurance when a cold snap, cloudy weather, or stagnant wind. With fossil fuels, you can adjust the supply according to forecasted demand. You can't do that with wind and solar. Batteries make a very tiny portion of the grid infrastructure as well. They're not replacing natural gas plants anytime soon. At the same time, government subsidies supplant reliable energy with unreliable energy. I am not against green energy when it is applied correctly, but you can't run an entire grid on renewables and not expect complications.