Renewables and Electricity Prices

By Jack Dini —— Bio and Archives September 25, 2017

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Wind energy is 'free' but countries with the most wind power are also the most likely to get to the top of the Prize Pool for exorbitant electricity prices. It's not even close. South Australian households pay the highest power prices in the world at 47.13 cents per kilowatt hour, more than Germany, Denmark and Italy, countries also noted for high 'free' wind energy concentration reports Joanne Nova. (1) The US pays 15.75 cents per kilowatt hour. Could there be a message here?

The growing dependence of Australia on green energy

The growing dependence of Australia on green energy and its explosive costs has caused businesses, especially heavy industry to move offshore, totally, or in part. Reports show that 42 percent of Australia's industry now produces 30 percent of its revenue outside of Australia. (2) In the Australian national energy market grid, there are 43 wind plants, and around 2400 turbines on poles, and for 14 years they've been building them. Despite this they are still not delivering enough power to replace Hazelwood, a 53 year old, tired, worn out coal-fired plant that can still manage to get all its generators working. One old coal plants makes more electricity than all the wind farms. (3) Most of the wind farms operate on a 30% capacity factor, even though they are a lot newer. Hazelwood is 53 years old, and is not generating its original nameplate, but it can still make 86% of that total, which is pretty astonishing after 53 years. (3) Renewable energy failures are not confined to Australia. In Europe costs have skyrocketed due to green energy. The increasing costs have caused heavy industry to complain it couldn't compete with the rest of the world and would likely have to move its production to other nations with dependable low-cost energy. The exodus of heavy industry, especially from Germany, is now underway. Also, Germany is building 23 new coal-fired power plants to overcome the very serious deficiencies of green energy, despite bragging about their being a leader in the green energy transformation. (2)

Governments by making outrageously false promises to taxpayers

In the United States, venture capitalists lost half of the $25 billion they pumped into startups of wind and solar between 2006 and 2011. They are no longer supporting wind and solar because they will not work as advertised. Almost all investment is now being made by federal and state governments by making outrageously false promises to taxpayers. (2) References

1. Joanne Nova, “Australia, Denmark, Germany vie to wind highest global electricity cost. It's the Nobel Price Prize, joannenova.com, August 17, 2017
2. Michael S. Coffman, “Power down,” Range Magazine, Spring 2017
3. Joanne Nova, “Hazelwood countdown: 53 years old and making more electricity than Australia's entire wind industry,” joannenova.com, March 21, 2017