California's Cautionary Clean Energy
A man is about to do something stupid.
Rea S.Hederman, Jr. and Will Swaim via RealClear Wire
,
California's rush to replace the electricity grid in the state with renewable energy gave the rest of the nation a glimpse of a decarbonized future
What President Biden and the revived Clean Power Plan for America envisions. It's not pretty.
California's cost-of-living was already high before supply chain woes and federal stimulus inflated it.
Ranking
Second highest in the country. The state has become more expensive because of the enthusiastic efforts to rely on more wind and solar energy, which are touted as cheap sources of clean power.
In 2015, the Clean Power Plan was implemented by President Obama to replace all coal-fired electricity plants with natural-gas-fired energy and renewable sources.
California passed its Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act.
With even more ambitious targets for decarbonization. In order to meet these targets, the state issued poorly thought out, overzealous regulations that increased electricity in-state.
Generation
Over twenty thousand people have benefited from the installation of wind and solar farms
Gigawatt-hours per year
California's energy is now supplied by wind and solar power.
California and clean energy are a perfect match.
Solar, wind and hydropower should be abundant in the state, with its sunny coasts, bright deserts and windy mountain passes. Unfortunately, they do not.
Nightfall
,
Droughts
.
Windless
These renewable energy sources are taken offline. When intermittent clean energy cannot meet the demand, California power companies turn to imports of natural gas and electricty.
Backstop
The grid is now more expensive because of the
Insufficient
Storage and pipeline capacity created as a result of the rush for 'cheap clean energy'.
Unreliable energy sources, inefficient markets, price spikes that are unpredictable, and an unfriendly regulatory environment all contribute to the problem.
Increase of 40 percent
The average Californian electric bill has increased by about 5% in the last five-year period. The higher prices are borne by retirees, households with low income, and families in the middle class.
Californians are now stretching their budgets to the limit just to pay for food, fuel, housing, and a rising electricity bill.
Clean energy is the new initiative of President Biden
You can also find out more about the proposal by clicking here.
The goal of a zero-pollution power sector by the year 2035 could soon be a reality in every state. Natural gas is virtually a non-starter in America under the plan of the president. California and the rest will have to replace the natural gas power stations with renewable sources, which will make electricity production less reliable and more expensive.
California is more suitable for a clean energy grid due to its climate and geography than any other state. However, even California relies on natural gas in order to keep the lights lit. This is not good news for Ohio or other cloudy states. According to the
Farmer's Almanac
Ohio has 63-77 clear days per annum. Michigan is worse, with 65-75 sunny days per year. California on the other side, gets plenty of sun
146 Days
Only Arizona is second in terms of average annual rainfall.
Half of California's sun and no wind corridors
Nearby
Major cities
Ohio's electricity is largely generated by natural gas and coal.
In order to comply with the President Biden's Zero-Emissions mandate, these plants that currently provide over 75 percent of energy for the state would be permanently retired. In a
New Report
According to the Buckeye Institute, this would increase Ohio's electric costs by 9 cents per kilowatt-hour, or $810 extra per year for a typical family. This is enough to buy roughly three months' worth of electricity
Buy groceries
For the median Ohio household. Californian households will pay an additional $665 per year on average for cleaner energy.
Buy groceries
.
California and Ohio will lose 10,000 jobs each in 2035 as companies reduce payrolls to offset increased costs and slow growth. California, however, has more than three-and-a half times the number of workers. This means that this blow is not as bad.
California's dramatic shift to cleaner energy is a cautionary story
Golden State's dream of fossil fuel independence may come true one day, but it remains unattainable. California-style emissions reduction policies would be disastrous to states who rely on energy intensive manufacturing and agriculture, without California's geographical advantages.
Renewable energy sources, despite their urgent claims by their supporters, are still intermittent, unreliable and much more expensive than advertised.
Rea S.Hederman Jr., executive director of Economic Research Center in
Buckeye Institute
Will Swaim, president of the
California Policy Center
.