SHOW ME THE MATH
Show me the math
George’s Grandson Zach is already a great observer, he’s full of questions, and has not yet developed reasons to ignore the realities of economics and hard science.
At two years old; Zach offers up the Chalk…. “Show Me!”
As I watch Zach keenly observe the world around him. I think about our Washington State Governor who quickly allied herself with those who wanted to place the large wind farms here. But beyond that, I remember being stopped by flagmen in a small town as a huge truck threaded its way through a planned route to deliver one of the huge 120 foot long wind turbine blades to a west coast site. Where did the money come from to fund this project? Well.. at least part of it was from a Five Million Dollar Grant right out of the public purse.
I stand with Zach, I’d like to see the figures on these investments! We know that Washington State is blessed with the cleanest and most cost-effective source of power I know of.. that being hydro, and we have folks attempting to better that, and even vote to pay double the price?
So… where’s the math? This is eight grade stuff! All we need do is quantify the total cost, including maintenance, land leases, lubricants, parts, etc, and then accurately calculate the real market value of the KWHs produced. But there’s some realities we need factor in! All those clean and wonderful hydro KWHs we already make. It seems peak wind power arrives in the spring at the same time that we spill water over our dams with the grid full to capacity! How naive you’d be to think the architects overlooked this fact. Perhaps making KWHs was not their real goal? Most thoughtful people already know that Ethanol blended gasoline has done little for humanity, but it sure has done wonders for certain corporations, and the backing of elected officials who engineered the subsidies.
Below is one website worth reading. There is no doubt in my mind that the people who really need to read this WILL ignore it, as they want to believe in magic so badly.
The same people who are so angry about Corporate Welfare are the ones that support the fleecing of the public when it comes to these huge projects…. it’s not about power produced, it’s all about the money moved from the public treasury into the pockets of Corporations, and here you can study how quickly it happens. What appears to be missing is any incentive to manage or maintain this equipment over the advertised useful life. Perhaps the principal benefactors like that part most, grab the cream on top and leave the expenses and poor returns to others to manage.
Look it up, during the peak power production months this year, the large wind farm near Ellensberg produced nothing! Learn why..
http://www.mnforsustain.org/windpower_schleede_g_washington_state_windpower_study.htm
Just another example of why America is bankrupt, foreign companies come here to fleece us with the help of insane subsidies and Green Energy Policies written to benefit all but the rate payers! Supporters are too lazy to do the basic math and have blind faith in their corrupt or inept government officials who likely receive re-election support in return for access to the public treasury via these large projects. The money you pay into social security is effectively transferred to a Corporate Entity….and sometimes it’s a Foreign Entity… with the full knowledge of your elected officials.
If green energy is good, I say let private enterprise build it without hanging rate payers out to dry.
What you’re likely never going to see is a Website out of the Governor’s Office with the basic facts.. including where all the money went. Will you ask about that 5 million dollar grant the Governor and her friends made to install a West Coast Wind Turbine? How’s that working, have you seen any figures to support her decision, or was it just another fleecing of the public in return for political support?
Feel free to post the facts here, especially if you think I’ve got it all wrong. The Green Energy Pond is full of Sharks and all but those who know how to run a pencil seem to have no clue or care.
Will you be the last person to ask yourself the question? Why work when it’s so easy to rob the public treasury?
In closing, there’s a group of people who are presently studying what these wind farms can be used for once it’s understood they are a huge financial failure. Some suggest that the turbine blades themselves will live very short lives, and the replacement alone will not be economical. Hmmm, maybe the manufacturer offered a warranty on those blades?
Do you expect a follow up from the Seattle Times, with probing questions? Perhaps the smiling faces we see on King Five News would care enough to report? Don’t hold your breath, those pretty faces only read their scripts.
George B.
Yep! George, you are right again. There is still a good market for snake oil.
I read with much interest yesterday’s post, including the recommended website.
Then, this morning I opened an email from Patriot Update News and watched the recommended video: Could Solar Highways Be a Great Idea? at http://www.wimp.com/solarhighways/.
I felt sure I had seen the video before including a critique on the idea of a glass highway. After a little consideration I decided “That sounds like something George B. would do.” So I went to UtterPower.com and searched for “glass road” and sure enough posted over a year ago on August 10, 2010 I found “Is Every Green Idea A Good Idea?” As usual, George is out front again.
I don’t like the Green Movement, most EPA regulations or the global warming hoax. They are not about saving the Earth. They are about government control and the redistribution of wealth. Still, some people think a solar highway sounds like a good idea! If you haven’t watched the video, or, as in my case, if it’s been over a year, check it out. It’s a pretty amusing four and a half minutes. And—if you think $1,000 a ton is high for asphalt, wait ‘till we get the bill for the solar road.
Harold, you are a good researcher, the story you provide caught my eye when it was released, and I did report on it. I have knowledge of just how much money is spent on studying compounds to mix in with road paint to lower expenses for painting the white and yellow lines on our road ways. That paint doesn’t last long, and neither do the road surfaces in a lot of places. Going to glass or a clear composite we’d drive on? We’d need Alien technology:-) Perhaps the larger problem is how gullible people are.. if they will believe in the free energy machine, what won’t they believe? As for the people who make the grants to study crap like this? They’re not stupid, but they are expecting something in return when they pass out our tax money for a grant like the one you report here. You better be working for their re-election campaign, or returning some of that money in the form of a campaign contribution, or you’ll never see another grant.