I grew up on a dairy farm in WI. Co-Founder at Always On Energy Research. Geology enthusiast. Tweets and typos are my own.
MN
Joined September 2014
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Unreliable energy advocates claim solar panels and battery storage are now able to deliver "baseload" power at a lower cost than coal or nuclear.
But we ran the numbers in ERCOT, and solar and storage aren't low cost, they are the most expensive energy out there.
A thread:
Isaac Orr retweeted
Another Amory Lovins prediction that underperformed--his essay had prophesized that solar technology and other "soft energy path" technologies would be democratized and very easy for anyone globally to manufacture with basic materials.
"they can often be made locally from local materials and do not require a technical elite to maintain them; they resist technological dependence and commercial
monopoly"
This week I attended a Council on Foreign Relations event celebrating 50 yrs since Amory Lovins's essay Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken? in @ForeignAffairs. I brought this poll with me as a conversation starter.
Lovins advocated a "soft energy" strategy--local rooftop solar, micro wind, energy efficiency, minimal transmission/distribution, paired with coal as a bridge fuel. He argued this path was superior, necessary, and mutually exclusive with a "hard energy" path (oil/gas, but also large-scale solar, nuclear, big centralized power plants, sprawling energy infrastructure).
The attendees overwhelmingly stood behind Amory's soft energy vision, a result I draw three key observations from:
1. People really wanted to focus on the portions of Lovins thesis that rang true (energy efficiency, renewables), and preferred not to critically interrogate the parts that had aged very poorly.
2. DC groupthink is real. Once a small "would" majority emerged, that's where every subsequent vote went. (classic flaw of live polling, tbf)
3. Around half of attendees I spoke with hadn't read the essay at all; I did not allow them to vote.
If Congress doesn’t feel compelled to save D.C. from itself, we have a few fun suggestions they should consider. The first: exempt federal buildings from paying the higher prices to save their constituents money.
Isaac Orr retweeted
The cost of electricity in Washington D.C. has skyrocketed, ever since the city imposed a Net Zero emissions target in 2019.
The city deliberately made itself less affordable for its residents, for no reason.
Chart via @TheFrackingGuy and @mitchrolling of @AlwaysOnEnergy.
Isaac Orr retweeted
Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, a mandate that imposes over $700 million upon Pennsylvania ratepayers per year was recently challenged by the West Virginia attorney general.
This sub 10 percent summer capacity accreditation from the @MISO_energy Series Futures Study would like a word, @TimPawlenty
.@hughhewitt asks: Can solar help meet rising energy demand?
Resoundingly, yes. But that’s not all we can help with…
Isaac Orr retweeted
Wisconsin has a generational opportunity to advance bold reforms and lead the Rust Belt’s revival.
As energy demand grows, states with reliable, affordable power will attract the next wave of jobs and investment.
A new report by @AFPWI and @WILawLiberty highlights how Wisconsin can welcome new industry, contain rising energy costs, and protect families from having to foot the bill.
Full Report Below:
MISO anticipates improvements in load factor thanks to data centers, which they model as having a 90 percent class load factor.
Don't say we didn't warn you.
The @SEIA hired @TimPawlenty and now a super PAC tied to the org is spending $250,000 to run ads on behalf of two Democrats running for Georgia PSC, on digital platforms and connected TV, like streaming services, per @CanaryMediaInc
