on September 20, 2019

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Renewables Threaten German Economy & Energy Supply, McKinsey Warns In New Report

Written by Isaac Orr

Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and other lawmakers recently traveled to Germany to supposedly learn about Germany's "Energy Transition," and bring home useful lessons that can be gleaned for Minnesota's energy future. From what I can tell, they group didn't get their money's worth, because almost all of the media covering Germany's attempt to close their nuclear plants and rely on wind and solar are saying that the policy is a disaster. It's not just people who work at think tanks, either. In fact, consulting giant Wood McKinsey wrote that Germany's energy policy poses a signficatn threat to the nation's economy and energy...

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on September 19, 2019

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Talk About Bad Timing: McKnight Foundation Announces Big Green Giveaway One Day Before Jamie Long Scandal Breaks

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Talk about bad timing if you're a green-energy profiteer. Just one day before the scandal that led to the resignation of Representative Jamie Long (DFL) from his hand-crafted job at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Energy made headlines, the McKnight Foundation announced they would be doubling down (the Stribs words, not mine) on the grants to green groups, increasing their contributions "from $15 million to $30 million over the next couple of years," according to the Star Tribune. Apparently, that also meant a $50,000 grant for Representative Long's ethically dubious position at the University. The McKnight Foundation's involvement in funding a position...

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on September 18, 2019

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Fresh Energy Is Still Intentionally Misleading Minnesotans on Energy Issues: A Series

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Earlier this summer Mitch Rolling and I wrote a multi-part series explaining how Fresh Energy's characterization of energy issues in Minnesota is intentionally misleading Minnesotans. This page serves as a table of contents for ease of use, and it will be updated as we expand the series into the future....

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on September 16, 2019

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Justice and Drew: Jamie Long’s Cushy University Job Was Created to Refute American Experiment’s Energy Work

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Last week Justice and Drew told it like it is by exposing the fact that Representative Jamie Long's position at the University Minnesota's Institute on the Environment was created to refute American Experiment's work on the high cost of renewable energy in Minnesota. The fact that the liberal McKnight Foundation wanted to launder $50,000 through the University to hire Representative Long shows that the other side knows American Experiment is a big difference in the energy debate, and they are deploying an "all hands on deck" strategy to try and refute our work....

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on September 12, 2019

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Clear Energy Alliance: Battery Fantasy

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

Batteries are often touted as a magical technology that will suddenly make unreliable wind and solar, reliable. The idea is just the latest round of wishful thinking on behalf of renewable energy boosters, and someday in the future we'll look back at the "but batteries" argument and chuckle. I've already documented how just 24 hours of battery storage in Minnesota would cost $133 billion dollars, roughly one-third of Minnesota's annual gross state product, and it we would potentially need weeks of storage to tide the state over during the summer, when electricity demand is high but wind generation is low. Clear Energy Alliance discusses...

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on August 28, 2019

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Elizabeth Warren Brings Her Campaign Against Reality to Minnesota

Written by Isaac Orr

in Climate, Energy, Environment, Mining, Minnesota Economy

Elizabeth Warren visited Minnesota last week to hold a campaign rally in her bid to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. At the rally, Warren waded into two highly controversial environmental debates in Minnesota by opposing the replacement of the Line 3 oil pipeline, and voicing her opposition to the proposed Twin Metals Minnesota mine, which would develop the massive reserves of copper, nickel, and other metals like platinum, palladium, and cobalt in northern Minnesota. Unfortunately, the policies proposed by Senator Warren represent a continuation of her campaign against reality. Line 3 Minnesotans use a lot of oil. In fact, U.S. Energy Information...

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on August 21, 2019

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Alliant Energy to Close Iowa Nuclear Plant for More Wind. Bad for Ratepayers, Bad for the Environment

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

Alliant Energy, the electric company in Iowa that wants to increase electricity costs for its consumers by $240 per year to add more wind to their grid, now wants to shut down their existing nuclear plant, which produces electricity with no carbon dioxide emissions, so they can repower existing wind turbines add more wind. According to an article from S&P Global Platts: A spokesman for the Iowa utility subsidiary said Monday that Interstate Power and Light currently meets 25% of its customer demand in the state through an off-take agreement with NextEra Energy Resources, which owns the majority interest in the 615...

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on August 14, 2019

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Wind Turbine Landfill or Mass Grave? We Report, You Decide

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment

Last week pictures surfaced of a landfill in Wyoming being filled with something you may not have imagined: wind turbine blades. It turns out that the fiberglass wind turbine blades are not recyclable, and the waste disposal site located near Casper, Wyoming will soon be the final resting place of more than 1,000 decommissioned wind turbine blades and motor housing units. According to the Cowboy State Daily: Each turbine blade will need between 30 and 44.8 cubic yards of landfill space, using a total of 448,000 cubic yards of the 2.6 million yards set aside for construction and demolition material. The components are made...

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on August 07, 2019

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St. Paul Green Party Mayoral Candidate’s Paper Straw Response to my PiPress Article Doesn’t Hold Up

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Last week I had an opinion editorial in the St. Paul Pioneer Press discussing how Minnesota's foray into wind and solar has led to higher electricity costs for no measurable environmental benefits. This prompted Elizabeth Dickinson, the former Green Party mayoral candidate for St. Paul to write a letter accusing me of using cherry-picked data. However, upon further scrutiny, the logic she uses in her letter to the editor holds up as well as paper straws. This sort of accusation is commonplace, but it does not make it correct. I've posted her letter below with my own thoughts about the points made...

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on August 05, 2019

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Midwestern Wind Turbines Were 3 Percent Useful Last Weekend

Written by Isaac Orr

in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. No matter what you did, it was probably more productive than the wind turbines in the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO) territory, where the wind utilized just 3 percent of installed capacity, providing a mere 1 percent of the electricity available on the grid. But just because the wind wasn't blowing doesn't mean there was not a high demand for electricity. In fact, July and August are typically the months where electricity use in Minnesota is highest. Ironically, it is also when generation from wind is lowest. The chart below shows Energy Information Administration data for...

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