More Schadenfreude please. It could not happen to nicer people. We all feel for the people of California-- we have gobs and gobs of empathy-- but the funny part of the current fires that are incinerating a goodly part of the state is that-- hold your breath-- policies that made it impossible to manage the forests turned said forests into a tinderbox. Better yet, the fires have covered the region with smoke and smoke inhibits the functioning of solar panels-- it blocks the sunlight.
We all knew that environmentalists were functional imbeciles, but clearly we were being kind.
The Wall Street Journal editorializes:
Meanwhile, in California the smoke and ash have created a solar-power eclipse that is raising the risk of more electric-power blackouts. State regulators in recent years have been ordering shutdowns of nuclear and natural-gas plants that can provide power around the clock and ramp up quickly when demand surges or other electricity sources wane.
Nicely stated-- an eclipse, not caused by the moon’s getting between the earth and the sun, but a man made eclipse caused by a failure to manage forests-- which policies were instituted as a gesture of loving affection toward the Goddess Nature:
Renewables like solar only provide intermittent generation, yet they account for about a third of the state’s electricity. Democratic politicians have mandated that 60% of state power by 2030 come from renewables and 100% by 2045. As a result, California is starting to experience power shortages when the sun sets or is covered by a cloud—or smoke.
Just when you thought it could not get any stranger, it has. The solar plants are in rural areas, where the risk of fire is greater. It means that California has to buy electricity from other states:
Many large solar plants are in rural areas that are also at high-risk for wildfires. On Thursday the smoky haze caused statewide solar generation to fall by a third. “We are seeing reductions to behind-the-meter and large-scale solar throughout the state,” said California Independent System Operator spokeswoman Anne Gonzales.
Grid operators had to import more power from California’s northern neighbors. Yet Washington and Oregon are also experiencing severe wildfires, which could threaten power generators and transmission lines that run through forests. Some aging power lines can stoke fires in dry, windy conditions.
This is why utility PG&E cut off power this week to 172,000 customers in northern California. Such preventive blackouts may become common in California during wildfire season as utilities try to shield themselves from liability. Democrats say the solution is to outfit homes with solar panels and batteries.
Of course, natural gas produces the cleanest energy. And nuclear power does so too-- with some extra risks. But those who worship at the cult to Mother Nature refuse to frack and reject nuclear.
Dumb and dumber-- at some point these idiots should wonder about what does does not work.
Californians were metaphorically "in the dark" long before they were physically in the dark. However, the bright side is that PG&E did have the first Fortune 500 Latina CEO. So diverse! Until she had to resign because the company set the state on fire. [snif]
ReplyDeleteOn a somewhat related note, the Canadians and Mexicans must be delighted about the new border controls:
https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/usa-wildfires/
It's amazing how "smart people" (they think they are) can be so dumb.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, there are big fires in Washington and Oregon. I drove across the Columbia River into Washington a few days ago, and couldn't see Oregon for the smoke on the river. Now, I can't see much past the trees downhill from me, though sometimes can make out the ridgeline of the hills on this side of the river. The sun is pink thru the smoke.
I suspect widespread arson in all of these fires. I have been wondering for a long time why terrorists do not target our forests with timed incendiary devices. It is easy to carry out, very hard to get caught, and causes enormous amounts of destruction for little money invested. And it costs us a fortune to combat. Demoralizing. It takes one to know one, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteUseful site that shows the sources of electricity produced/consumed in each region. Click on a region and use the slider to select time-of-day, the site will tell you how much comes from solar, wind, gas, etc. https://www.electricitymap.org/zone/US-CAL-CISO As of right now, 12:58 PDT, about 50% of the power consumed is coming from solar. But as of 9:15PM last night, solar and wind were trivial, whereas 62% came from gas and 16% from hydro.
ReplyDeleteThe Green Blight should be awarded the bigot's bigotry. That said, save a bird, whack a wind turbine. Save the bats. Save the creepy crawlies. Save the minority trees. Clear the Green farms of their toxic foliage.
ReplyDeleteCalifornians were metaphorically "in the dark" long before they were physically in the dark
ReplyDeleteThe Twilight Fringe, where Green for green[backs] is green so green, black holes are black whores h/t NAACP, and life is a "burden" h/t Obama. Let us kneel in solidarity with Some, Select Black Lives Matter, fiddle while Antifa burns our communities. In Stork they Trust to deliver social justice, social progress, wicked solutions, and generic remorse in monotonic [unqualified] change.