The Cardinal Mine in western Kentucky is among the most productive underground coal mines in the United states. It's the thirty-fifth largest in American and produces about 6 tons of coal per miner work-hour.
That's about two times the national average of underground coal mines. On an average day, by itself, the Cardinal Mine, which has about 400 people on its payroll, produces about 75 percent as much raw energy as all of the solar panels and wind turbines in the United States, reports Robert Bryce. (1)
Yet, according to Grist, solar power workers now outnumber coal miners nationwide. (2)
Solar (and wind) have been big cash cows. In the time frame 2009 to 2011 the Obama administration distributed $9 billion in economic 'stimulus' funds to solar and wind projects that created, as the end result, 910 'direct jobs'--annual operation and maintenance positions—meaning that it cost about $9.8 million to establish each of those long-term jobs. (3)
Coal provided 42% of US electricity needs in 2011 while solar provided 0.2% of US electricity needs. (4) As Steve Milloy notes: coal provides 210 times more electricity and suggests, “You do the math.” (5)
References:
Robert Bryce, Power Hungry, (New York, PublicAffairs, 2010), 2
Tim McDonnell, “The smart money is on renewable energy,” grist.org/climate-energy, April 23, 2013
Michael W. Chapman and Fred Lucas, “$9 billion in 'stimulus' for solar, wind projects made 910 find jobs--$9.8 million per job,” cnsnews.com, June 20, 2012
“Solar Power,”Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, April 23, 2013
Steve Milloy, “Solar inefficiency: more solar workers than coal miners in US, but coal provides 210 times more electricity,” junkscience.com, April 23, 2013
Jack Dini is author of Challenging Environmental Mythology. He has also written for American Council on Science and Health, Environment & Climate News, and Hawaii Reporter.
