Europe's Renewable Romance Fades -- The WSJ ...

... just as President Obama's infatuation with wind soars....

The WSJ op-ed piece here.

Europe has bet big on wind and solar energy, and many environmental advocates would like America to follow. Wind and solar have a role in the U.S. energy economy, but we would be wise to see the cautionary tale in the European experience and adjust our plans accordingly.

Wind and solar generate 3.5% of America's electricity today, but Denmark gets 30% of its electricity from wind and hopes to produce 50% by 2020. Germany, Europe's largest national economy, produces roughly 12% of its electricity from wind and solar today, and it wants renewable energy to account for 35% of electricity generation by 2020.

Clean energy powered by renewable resources is understandably attractive. But the honeymoon with renewables is ending for some Europeans as the practical challenges of the relationship become clear.

The first challenge is cost. Germany has reportedly invested more than $250 billion in renewable energy deployment, and its households pay the highest power costs in Europe—except for the Danish. On average, Germans and Danes pay roughly 300% more for residential electricity than Americans do.

Another challenge of Europe's growing dependence on renewable energy is far more serious: the potential loss of reliable electrical supply. It's one thing to ask consumers to pay more for cleaner energy; it's another to force them to endure blackouts. 

I used to have strong feelings about renewable energy in this country, but I have pretty much lost interest. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Americans should now be aware of the scams, the cost, the futility of solar and wind, but if Americans don't mind paying higher utility bills for opportunity to burn candles during rolling blackouts, that's their prerogative.  We have a democracy and if folks want to approve these projects, that's their right.

I'll continue posting links/stories about global warming (which stopped some 15 years ago) and renewable energy for archival purposes, but I've pretty much lost interest in the whole subject.

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This one is almost too good to pass up. This sounds like Becky never took a science course after eighth grade. An entire "science" article with about as much science in it as saying "the sun came up in the east today."

Apparently Becky was very, very impressed with a "lake" in the Arctic that disappeared earlier this  summer. But then this:

The lake, about the size of an Olympic swimming pool, started forming in mid-July, LiveScience first reported on July 23. The size and timing of the lake are typical for this time of year and location, the researchers said.

A reader suggests Becky is padding her resume for a future application as Director, EPA.