David Wojick is an independent analyst working at the intersection of science and public policy. He has a PhD in analytic philosophy of science and mathematical logic, and focuses his research on unpacking the structure of complex issues.
It takes big energy to back up little wind and solar
Power system design can be extremely complex, but one simple number is painfully obvious. At least it’s painful (and terribly inconvenient) to advocates of wind and solar power – which may be why we never hear about it, why it too often gets deliberately hidden from view. It is a big, bad number.
To my knowledge, this big number has no name, but it should. Let's call it the “minimum backup requirement” for wind and solar, or MBR. The minimum backup requirement is how much generating capacity a system must have if it is to reliably produce the electricity we need when wind and solar don't.
- Friday, April 2, 2021
Climate alarmists often accuse skeptics, like myself and independent groups like the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Heartland Institute, of being in the pay of Big Oil. This is completely false--the Big Lie repeated so often that people eventually believe it. We do not receive even a dime from Big Oil. It's part of the green fairy tale that skepticism exists only because the oil companies are funding it.
People complain all the time about UN jargon. But the technical language of the Katowice, Poland climate summit is actually very revealing. It is all about changing the world order.
The anti-fracking folks are trying a clever new strategy in Colorado. Instead of banning fracking, they just make it impossible. In fact, they make nearly all oil and gas development and production impossible--which is exactly what radical "leave it in the ground" eco factions demand.
