on April 04, 2019

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Doubling Down on Failure Installment Four: Renewable Energy Fails Cost/Benefit Analysis Using Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Social Cost of Carbon

Written by Isaac Orr

This article is the fourth installment explaining the findings of our new study entitled Doubling Down on Failure, How a 50 percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion. This installment explains how the cost of reducing carbon dioxide emissions under the Renewable, Short-Term Nuclear, and Long-Term Nuclear would exceed the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) established by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) scenario, is the only scenario that passes this cost-benefit analysis. This post is pretty in the weeds, so the main takeaway is that the costs of reducing our carbon dioxide emissions...

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on April 03, 2019

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House DFL Wants To Give People $2,500 Rebates for Electric Car Purchases

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

DFL lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives have proposed providing $2,500 rebates for Minnesotans who purchase new electric vehicles under $60,000. No one in my family has ever purchased a vehicle that expensive, and frankly, I never plan on purchasing such a pricey ride, either. Electric car buyers already get a $7,500 tax credit from the federal government, so this additional rebate, if enacted, would make the handout a cool $10,000 for the predominately white, wealthy, liberals who purchase electric vehicles, courtesy of low and middle income families. This is just something to keep in mind as you watch Governor Walz's...

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on April 02, 2019

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MN House Energy and Climate Finance Committee Modeling Should Include Future Wind Speeds

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

The Minnesota House of Representatives has proposed spending $550,000 on a study to be conducted by the University of Minnesota exploring the impacts of climate change in Minnesota. What's unique about the study is that it would require the University to conduct a study producing climate model projections through the rest of this century for 10-square mile blocks covering the entire state. The study would be required to develop a series of projections of temperature, precipitation, snow cover, and a variety of other climate parameters over the rest of this century. This morning I testified in front of the Committee instructing them to add another requirement to...

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on April 01, 2019

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Doubling Down On Failure Installment Three: Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

This article is the third installment explaining the findings of our new study entitled Doubling Down on Failure, How a 50 percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion. This installment explains how carbon dioxide emissions would be affected in each of the four scenarios we examine, Renewable, Short-Term Nuclear, Long-Term Nuclear, and Affordable Clean Energy (ACE). While the Renewable, Short-Term Nuclear, and Long-Term Nuclear scenarios would impose significant yearly financial burdens on Minnesota households, they all would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Emissions would eventually rise under the ACE plan as existing wind turbines reach the end of their useful lives. The graph...

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on March 31, 2019

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Doubling Down on Failure Installment Two: Generation, Utility Profits, Property Taxes, and Transmission

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

This article is the second installment explaining the findings of our new study entitled Doubling Down on Failure, How a 50 percent by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard Would Cost Minnesota $80.2 Billion. Today, I’ll break down four main components that drive the cost of our energy system that we explored in our study. As you can see below, generation accounted for 59 percent of the total cost of electricity in the Renewable Scenario, utility profits constituted 22 percent, property taxes accounted for 11 percent, and transmission accounted for 8 percent of the total cost of electricity....

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on March 30, 2019

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In The Tank (EP 184) A Bad Week for the Left: Russia Collusion, Green New Deal, and ObamaCare

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Hello! This week on the In The Tank Podcast, Donny and Justin are joined by Jim Lakely of The Heartland Institute because I was at the Twin's home opener and as such I take full responsibility for their victory. In the first segment, the crew gives their takes on the release of the Mueller Report on potential Russian "collusion." After a nearly-two-year investigation, the Mueller team found no evidence of collusion. How did this investigation effect the Trump administration during the first two years and how will the results play into the 2020 election. In another stunning defeat for the left, a resolution for...

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on March 29, 2019

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The Dirty Secret Behind “Clean Energy”

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Renewable energy advocates often talk about wind and solar as "clean" energy resources, and talk about "dirty" fossil fuels, but how accurate is their assessment that renewables are actually clean? Not very. We've talked about the fact that wind solar, and batteries require massive amounts of copper, nickel, rare earth metals, lead, cadmium, and cobalt. Many times, these materials are mined in countries where there are few, if any, protections for the environment or workers. The Clear Energy Alliance has produced a very good video debunking the claims that fossil fuels are inherently dirty, and video shines a much-needed light on the...

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on March 28, 2019

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Minnesota’s Third-Largest Wind Farm is Already Losing Steam: Output Falls 14 percent from 2014 Highs

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

According the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, wind turbines have operational lifetimes of 20 years, but it appears Xcel Energy's Nobles wind project, the third-largest wind farm in Minnesota, is losing steam after just eight. The graph below was produced using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration plant-level data. It shows the electricity generation of the Nobles wind project, which became operational in 2010, through 2018. You'll notice that electricity generation peaked in 2014, and that generation was about 14 percent lower in 2018, compared to the 2014 production levels. It is important to take note of this decline in electricity production...

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on March 27, 2019

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Even U.S. Senate Democrats Aren’t Crazy Enough to Vote For the Green New Deal

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Yesterday the U.S. Senate held a vote on the much discussed Green New Deal (GND). Interestingly, the non-binding resolution on the GND failed to get a even single vote, being defeated 0-57, despite the fact that several candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination are sitting senators who have voiced public support for the resolution. These senators include Corey Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Amy Klobuchar. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was quick to pounce on the results, releasing the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j_Djv4Q74Q&feature=youtu.be Will Governor Walz get the message and pare back his own plan for a disastrous Green New Deal...

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on March 26, 2019

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House Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Division Drops 78-Page, Energy-Illiterate Omnibus Bill

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy

Democrats on the Minnesota House of Representatives Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Division Committee have dropped a 78-page omnibus bill that is chalk full of energy-illiterate language. I've summarized some of the items in the omnibus below. Governor Walz' Energy Illiterate Green New Deal Different legislation, same bad policy. This legislation would require Minnesota’s electricity sector to be 100 percent free of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. However, just like earlier versions, this bill does not allow for new nuclear power, allow large hydro to count toward the mandate, or allow for carbon capture and sequestration. As such, this policy would cause massive...

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