The Futility of the “Green New Deal”

The previous post detailed why I looked forward to having the opportunity to using National Academy of Science and NASA to use “Science” to debunk Gov Inslee’s support for “Green New Deal”. This post details there’s two reasons why it's fortunate “science” debunks the claim, “CO2 emissions are an existential threat”. 

The first being the US only emits 15% of global CO2 emissions.  It’s unlikely U.S. “leadership” will persuade China, India, and “undeveloped other” countries to significantly reduce their 67% of emissions. Spending trillions attempting to reduce U.S. emissions will have minimal effect on global temperatures.  

The second being its “unlikely” the Green New Deal will significantly reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuel.  A July 1 2020 U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Today in Energy” report announced “Non-fossil sources accounted for 20% of U.S. energy consumption in 2019”.  

However it also reported the hundreds of billions spent adding windmill capacity over the last 40 years provided only 2.5% of the energy consumed in 2019.  Whatever funds spent adding solar power capacity over that period provided only 1.0% of the energy consumed in the U.S. in 2019.

The problem is only 35% of windmill capacity and 25% of solar power capacity is consumed by customers. A wind turbine looses nearly 90% of its capacity if wind drops from 20 mph to 10 mph. Adding windmills in less "windy" conditions will undoubtedly reduce that capacity factor.  (The European windmill capacity factor is only 21%.)   Solar power drops with clouds and goes away at night. Until large amounts of energy can be stored wind and solar power will never be a reliable energy source requiring fossil fueled generators for back-up.   The fact that much of both wind and solar power is generated far from where it’s needed adds to the costs

By comparison fossil fuels can be found, transported, and stored near where the energy is needed, be it in a vehicle or airplane, a coal or natural gas power plant, heating a building, farming, or other industrial use (chemical, metallurgical, and mineral transformation).  (The energy stored in battery-powered cars “likely” comes from fossil powered plants)

My hope is to use the gubernatorial platform to tell the widest possible audience it’s unlikely the trillions spent on the Green New Deal will ever change that reality.