The Hidden Costs of Wind and Solar Energy By Tyler O’Neil
https://pjmedia.com/trending/2016/10/04/the-hidden-costs-of-wind-and-solar-energy/
A new report from the Department of Energy (DOE) painted a rosy picture for renewable energy, but Americans must not forget that any breakthroughs have come with a cost. The United States may produce more wind and solar energy than in previous years, but that increase must be understood in the context of government subsidies for those industries.
“Alternative energy technologies have been heavily subsidized for decades and even with the generous support from taxpayers, they haven’t penetrated the market as promised,” Nick Loris, research fellow in energy and environmental policy at the Heritage Foundation, told PJ Media on Monday. “If these technologies are as promising and cost-competitive as proponents of their use say they are, they shouldn’t need preferential treatment from the government.”
The DOE report shows “6 Charts that Will Make You Optimistic About America’s Clean Energy Future.” The charts show increasing energy output at decreasing cost for wind power and solar power, and they also show decreasing cost and increasing purchases for electric cars and LED light bulbs.
“The Department of Energy’s information tells a bit of a different story when you look closely,” Dan Simmons, vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research (IER), told PJ Media on Monday. Simmons noted that while the cost of land-based wind energy fell overall since 1980, it actually increased more than 40 percent from 2002 to 2010.
In July, National Review‘s Robert Bryce reported that the wind energy industry has received $176 billion in local, state, and national subsidies since 2000. Despite this, according to the DOE graph, wind was actually cheaper in 2002 than it was in 2015.
“It appears that tens of billions in subsidies for wind made wind more expensive,” Simmons quipped.
The IER expert also noted that the DOE report failed to include the growth of other energy sources. “Even with the subsidies the Obama administration has provided for wind and solar, natural gas production is still outpacing the growth in wind and solar generation,” Simmons noted. The DOE data shows the energy produced by natural gas grew more than two-and-a-half times faster than wind and solar energy between 2008 and 2015.
It’s also important to note that even with the subsidies the Obama administration has provided for wind and solar, natural gas production is still outpacing the growth in wind and solar generation. In fact, DOE data shows that the energy produced by natural gas grew more than two and a half times faster than wind and solar from 2008 through 2015.
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