on May 01, 2019

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Isaac Orr Talks The High Cost of Renewable Energy Mandates on AFP Radio

Written by Isaac Orr

Last weekend I was on American's For Prosperity Radio with Jason Flohrs discussing our latest report on the energy proposals supported by Governor Walz and the DFL house. A 50 percent renewable energy mandate cost $80.2 billion through 2050, which is $1,200 per household per year through 2050, but only avert 0.0006 degrees C of global warming by 2100! Enjoy the show! https://omny.fm/shows/americans-for-prosperity-radio/04-27-19-competing-tax-plans-the-true-cost-of-ener?t=36m59s ...

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on April 30, 2019

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One Korean Nuclear Reactor Would Produce As Much Electricity As All Minnesota Wind Turbines at a Much Lower Cost

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Last week, Korean Electric Power (KEPCO) connected its second advanced pressure reactor (APR) 1400 nuclear reactor to the grid. This is significant because these power plants, with a generation capacity of 1,400 megawatts (MW), would be able to generate about as much electricity as the combined output of all the wind facilities in Minnesota, for a fraction of the cost. Nuclear power plants are incredibly efficient, with capacity factors of 90 percent or higher. This means nuclear plants will generate about 90 percent of their theoretical output during the course of a year. As a result, building just one APR1400 reactor...

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on April 29, 2019

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University of Chicago: Renewable Energy Mandates Increase Electricity Costs

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

The University of Chicago made waves last week by releasing the findings of a working paper that found renewable energy mandates cause electricity prices to rise. This won't be surprising to our readers, but it is massive vindication for all the hard work American Experiment has put into educating the general public about the negative consequences of renewable energy mandates. From the abstract of the paper: "Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) are the largest and perhaps most popular climate policy in the US, having been enacted by 29 states and the District of Columbia. Using the most comprehensive panel data set ever compiled...

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on April 28, 2019

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Government Mandates, Not Free Markets, Responsible for Minnesota’s Solar Growth

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Greater Minnesota

Solar irradiance, the energy potential for solar, in Minnesota is among the lowest in the country. Despite the poor solar resources in Minnesota, our state had installed 882 MW of solar. In a free market, investors would seek to maximize their returns by investing in solar farms in states like Arizona and California. This strongly suggests the growth in solar in Minnesota is a product of government mandates and rate structures, not free markets. ...

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on April 26, 2019

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Environmental Hypocrites of the Left

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

My friend Todd Myers, of the Washington Policy Center, wrote the following article in The National Review: Why progressives refuse to live by their own Earth Day bluster George Monbiot recently expressed a carefully calibrated environmental message that allows people on the environmental left to feel self-righteous without making any real sacrifice. In a video that was shared widely, including by celebrities such as James Corden, the British writer argues that the only way to help the environment is to change the “big, structural, political economic stuff.” Monbiot concludes that we need to “go straight to the heart of capitalism and overthrow...

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on April 25, 2019

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It’s All About the Subsidies, Baby! Minnesota’s Wind Farms Are Being Rebuilt to Capture More Subsidies

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

The Lake Benton Wind (LBW) Farm in southern Minnesota is being retooled to improve turbine performance and reliability, but most importantly, it is being rebuilt to generate federal production tax credits. According to North American Wind Power, in 2017, ALLETE Clean Energy announced an $80 million project that includes replacing select blades, gearboxes and generators on turbines at the Lake Benton wind farm in Minnesota’s Lincoln County and the Storm Lake I and II wind farms in Iowa’s Buena Vista and Cherokee counties. The Lake Benton 1 facility was placed into service in 1998, and Lake Benton 2 was placed into service in 1999....

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on April 23, 2019

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Star Tribune: Technology, Cost Could Hamper Efforts for 100 Percent Carbon-Free Grid in Minnesota by 2050

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

On April 20th, the Star Tribune ran a story entitled "Technology, Cost Could Hamper Efforts for 100 Percent Carbon-Free Grid in Minnesota by 2050." It was good to see the paper acknowledging that the policies proposed by Governor Walz and House DLF'ers will be expensive and the technology needed to attain this goal (without the use of nuclear and large hydro) does not exist. ...

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on April 22, 2019

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Earth Day 1970

Written by Catrin Wigfall

in Climate, Environment

Everyone has varying degrees of concern for the environment. But the empowerment of agencies such as the EPA and the overreach of environmental regulations have greatly exaggerated initial 1970 Earth Day concerns....

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on April 16, 2019

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The Case for a Green ‘No Deal’

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Those who advocate for Minnesota's "Green New Deal" are not the adults in the room. How can one credibly claim that global warming is an "existential crisis," yet refuse to utilize the most reliable, affordable, and scaleable sources of carbon-dioxide free electricity available? I submit that they cannot. But do we need to make a Green New Deal at all? The following article argues that we do not....

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on April 15, 2019

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Minnesota Should Keep Burning Clean, Beautiful Coal

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment

With President Trump visiting Minnesota today, there is no better time to emphasize the fact that Minnesota would save $87.7 billion dollars through 2050 by continuing to burn clean, beautiful coal to generate electricity instead of pursuing more wind and solar. Despite claims to the contrary, coal-fired electricity is far more affordable than wind or solar. Minnesota can only reap these massive economic benefits if we implement the Trump Administration’s proposed Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, which requires coal plants to make common sense, and cost effective improvements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions....

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