Inaugural Post: Einstein's Definition Of Insanity -- The List

It's come to this: we've had the annual Geico Rock Award for quite some time but it's been brought to my attention that I've been remiss in another category that needs to be tracked at the blog. To get on this list, I hope to set the bar quite high, so don't expect a lot of examples, but some examples are so egregious it's impossible to overlook them.

Additions To The List

May 12, 2020: the global response to corona virus. 

May 2, 2019: the California bullet train.

April 28, 2019: the Democrats' response to the "southern surge": catch and release.

July 23, 2017: let's add Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to this list, who apparently doesn't understand basic economics. 

June 21, 2017: Wow, if you can't connect the dots, you aren't even trying. Nevada is resetting energy credits ....

... that officials say will make solar panels a more affordable option for home-owners and make the state a leader in clean energy production.

Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill Thursday at Tesla Energy Warehouse in Las Vegas that he says will also restore hundreds of solar-related jobs.

Assembly Bill 405 from Democratic Assemblyman Chris Brooks will reinstate favorable rates for residential customers to exchange some of their daytime energy for nighttime power from the state grid. Nevada's solar industry entered a tailspin in 2015 when state utility regulators began decreasing those credits. It prompted some generator manufacturing and installation companies to make layoffs and leave the state.

May 12, 2017: American Crystal and its union negotiating again.

Original Post

This is the article that started all this, what is now know as the "Solar FREAKIN' Roadways" -- data points:

• Idaho
• Solar FREAKIN' Roadways project
• solar panels along this road 
• project cost: $4.3 million
• under development: 6.5 years
• energy production: 0.26 kWh (March 29, 2017) -- less than a single plasma television consumes
• energy production: 1.06 kWh (March 31, 2017) -- barely enough to power a single microwave oven
• energy production, on average: 0.62 kWh; an average blow drier consumers about 1kWh per day
• blame: design flaw in the solar panels
• in fact: with a perfect design, the Solar Freakin' Roadway project would have produced enough energy to power a single water fountain and the lights in a nearby restroom 
• bottom line: $4.3 million in funding to generate 90 cents worth of electricity

But that's not the reason this project meets the criteria to be on the EDI list. This is the reason.

Despite $4.3 million being spent so far for 90 cents of electricity, the project broke down in March and Idaho has decided to go ahead, to make repairs. The cost of those repairs were not reported.

It was reported that in the process of making repairs, the roadway's electrical box caught fire prompting emergency response by firefighters.

Einstein's definition of insanity: doing something over and over expecting to get a different result. 

Is this a true story or an April Fool's joke? It's true: here's the website, and it really is called the Solar FREAKIN' Roadways project. I can't make this stuff up.

New USDOT contract: November, 2015.

The data from the linked DailyCaller site has not been independently verified by my EDI staff. For all we know, the numbers are even worse by now.