Time to Stop Pretending Renewables Are Cheap

Policymakers would do well to heed energy experts like Schernikau and Stein. Chasing luxury beliefs do not cost well-heeled climate bureaucrats and renewables ideologues much, but the burdens of irrational energy policies will be borne by the world’s poorest. The real path forward lies in pragmatic, technology-neutral approaches that prioritise energy abundance over austerity.

Time to Stop Pretending Renewables Are Cheap

Claim: Renewable Australia will Have No Problem with Zero Generation Days

A new study suggests blackouts will only happen sometimes, if we build enough batteries and overcapacity, and a hydrogen export industry.

Claim: Renewable Australia will Have No Problem with Zero Generation Days

The Battery Storage Delusion

By Paul Homewood   Dr Lars Schernikau exposes the harsh reality about grid-scale batteries:     My first moped when I was fourteen, back in East Berlin, had no starter battery. The only way to get it running was to kickstart it which, back then, seemed perfectly normal. Batteries were expensive and heavy. My current […]

The Battery Storage Delusion

Trump Admin Moves To Curb ‘Environmentally Damaging’ Green Energy Projects

The Department of the Interior (DOI) moved to deal another blow to the green energy industry Friday, announcing that it will consider energy projects’ capacity density and the environmental impacts before permitting them, singling out wind and solar.

Trump Admin Moves To Curb ‘Environmentally Damaging’ Green Energy Projects

Clean Power 2030 projects risk becoming stranded assets

By Paul Homewood     London: 17 July 2025 For immediate release Net Zero Watch: Clean Power 2030 projects risk becoming stranded assets Reform’s Richard Tice has written to green energy bosses warning them that a Nigel Farage-led government would terminate green subsidy contracts associated with Labour’s Clean Power 2030 agenda. He argues that the […]

Clean Power 2030 projects risk becoming stranded assets

Solar Farms Paid To Switch Off

By Paul Homewood h/t Doug Brodie/Philip Bratby   It’s started already!   From The Telegraph:     British solar farms have been paid to switch off for the first time as sunny days prompt a surge of clean power that could overwhelm the grid.

Solar Farms Paid To Switch Off

‘Outright Massacre’: Senate GOP Takes Sledgehammer To Biden’s Green Energy Subsidies

The Senate dealt a series of blows to solar and wind energy in the latest version of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill — taking a page out of House Republicans’ playbook to crack down on green energy tax credits enacted under former President Joe Biden.

‘Outright Massacre’: Senate GOP Takes Sledgehammer To Biden’s Green Energy Subsidies

Why “cheaper” solar raises costs. Part II: The hidden costs of residential solar

Residential solar follows a similar pattern: it seems affordable for homeowners, but raises system costs through rate structures that over-incentivize adoption. Generous subsidies, like retail-rate net metering, drive excessive solar growth, risking grid stability and shifting costs to non-solar customers that are often less affluent.

Why “cheaper” solar raises costs. Part II: The hidden costs of residential solar

G-7: Africans Deserve Real Electricity

Those that aspire to net-zero are condemning Africa to extreme poverty. Those that promote African access to fossil fuels, want Africans to have the chance to rise up. 

G-7: Africans Deserve Real Electricity

Why “cheaper” wind and solar raise costs. Part III: The problem with power markets

by Planning Engineer (Russ Schussler) Part 3 of this series examines power markets, promoted by policymakers (FERC) and industry advocates to lower costs through competitive bidding and merit-order dispatch. While markets can optimize resource allocation in many sectors, they struggle to deliver affordability and reliability in electricity systems dominated by intermittent renewables. This post first […]

Why “cheaper” wind and solar raise costs. Part III: The problem with power markets

Germany’s Renewable Energy Overcapacity Is Pushing The Power Grid To The Limit

By Frank Bosse at Klimanachrichten (Translated, edited by P. Gosselin) “Too much electricity is also a danger.” With that headline, Germany’s “n-tv” surprised its readers on Pentecost Sunday. Attentive readers of “Klimanachrichten” already knew this beforehand: The past holiday weekend was a stress test for our electricity grid: The sun is very high, provides a…

Germany’s Renewable Energy Overcapacity Is Pushing The Power Grid To The Limit

Spain Boosts Natural Gas Capacity After Renewable Energy’s Failure Led to Historic Blackout

Now, in the aftermath of this blackout that could have been much worse, Spain has significantly increased its reliance on natural gas-fired power plants to stabilize its electricity grid. This strategic shift is the direct result of concerns about the grid’s ability to handle high levels of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind, which accounted for a substantial share of generation during the outage.

Spain Boosts Natural Gas Capacity After Renewable Energy’s Failure Led to Historic Blackout

Why “cheaper” wind and solar raise costs. Part I: The fat tail problem

by Planning Engineer (Russ Schussler) Wind and solar power are often touted as the cheapest sources of electricity in many regions, capable of delivering low-cost energy for the vast majority of the time. At first glance, this might suggest that an energy mix heavily weighted toward renewables would be the most economical choice. However, this […]

Why “cheaper” wind and solar raise costs. Part I: The fat tail problem

Expert Assessment Warns Expansion Of Wind And Solar Energy Jeopardizing French Power Grid Stability

The French are finding out that combining nuclear power with unstable wind and sun is not a good idea and is a risk to the power grid.

Spain recently had to learn a similar lesson in a most painful manner.

Expert Assessment Warns Expansion Of Wind And Solar Energy Jeopardizing French Power Grid Stability

Britain Could Face Months-Long Blackouts Because of Net Zero

Britain’s rush to Net Zero could leave it vulnerable to months-long blackouts, as reliance on intermittent renewables strains the grid, escalating costs and jeopardising energy security. The Telegraph has more.

Britain Could Face Months-Long Blackouts Because of Net Zero

Previous Older Entries

Bassett, Brash & Hide

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Truth on the Market

Scholarly commentary on law, economics, and more

The Undercover Historian

Beatrice Cherrier's blog

Matua Kahurangi

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Temple of Sociology

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Velvet Glove, Iron Fist

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Why Evolution Is True

Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.

Down to Earth Kiwi

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

NoTricksZone

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Homepaddock

A rural perspective with a blue tint by Ele Ludemann

Kiwiblog

DPF's Kiwiblog - Fomenting Happy Mischief since 2003

The Dangerous Economist

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Watts Up With That?

The world's most viewed site on global warming and climate change

The Logical Place

Tim Harding's writings on rationality, informal logic and skepticism

Doc's Books

A window into Doc Freiberger's library

The Risk-Monger

Let's examine hard decisions!

Uneasy Money

Commentary on monetary policy in the spirit of R. G. Hawtrey

Barrie Saunders

Thoughts on public policy and the media

Liberty Scott

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Point of Order

Politics and the economy

James Bowden's Blog

A blog (primarily) on Canadian and Commonwealth political history and institutions

Science Matters

Reading between the lines, and underneath the hype.

Peter Winsley

Economics, and such stuff as dreams are made on

A Venerable Puzzle

"The British constitution has always been puzzling, and always will be." --Queen Elizabeth II

The Antiplanner

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Bet On It

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

History of Sorts

WORLD WAR II, MUSIC, HISTORY, HOLOCAUST

Roger Pielke Jr.

Undisciplined scholar, recovering academic

Offsetting Behaviour

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

JONATHAN TURLEY

Res ipsa loquitur - The thing itself speaks

Conversable Economist

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

The Victorian Commons

Researching the House of Commons, 1832-1868

The History of Parliament

Articles and research from the History of Parliament Trust

Books & Boots

Reflections on books and art

Legal History Miscellany

Posts on the History of Law, Crime, and Justice

Sex, Drugs and Economics

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

European Royal History

Exploring the Monarchs of Europe

Tallbloke's Talkshop

Cutting edge science you can dice with

Marginal REVOLUTION

Small Steps Toward A Much Better World

NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert”. - J Robert Oppenheimer.

STOP THESE THINGS

The truth about the great wind power fraud - we're not here to debate the wind industry, we're here to destroy it.

Lindsay Mitchell

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

Alt-M

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

croaking cassandra

Economics, public policy, monetary policy, financial regulation, with a New Zealand perspective

The Grumpy Economist

Celebrating humanity's flourishing through the spread of capitalism and the rule of law

International Liberty

Restraining Government in America and Around the World