CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – My electric bill arrived for April last week. April used to be my lowest bill of the year. The heat is usually turned off, and in most years I haven’t started to use the air conditioning yet. I’ve had April bills as low at $75. This year: $155.
Why is that? Well, in recent years the fixed costs of your utility bill have increased, and the usage charges have decreased. That’s, in part, to cover the costs of solar and wind power infrastructure, which is expensive.
The next time you drive past a solar farm, here’s a good question to ask yourself. “How long do those solar panels last?” The answer is 20 to 25 years. And then, “What happens after that?”
Now comes the dirty little secret that the green energy crowd doesn’t want you to know. Solar panels can’t be recycled. The rare earth minerals are underneath layers and layers of glass, so they are difficult to get at. Yet many of those chemicals contaminate groundwater if they’re sent to a landfill. So disposing of solar panels at the end of their useful life is expensive.
But surely these costs have been factored into the expenses of operating a solar farm? No, they have not. Because, solar power, which is already much more expensive than using coal-fired or natural gas power plants, would be economically unviable if those costs were included.
The same is true for wind turbines. The next time you drive past Fond du Lac or Rockford, look at the number of wind turbines that are not turning. They are expensive to maintain. One estimate is that one-third of all windmills are idle or need repair. Some won’t be fixed because they are outdated. Disposing of the blades from windmills is also expensive. They’re made of complex chemicals, can’t be repurposed for anything else, and take up large amounts of landfill space. And, just like solar, the cost of decommissioning wind turbines isn’t part of the costs of building them.
You or me will pay for it, either on our utility bills or through our tax dollars.
And here’s the saddest part of the green energy sham. Coal technology has improved dramatically since the 1940 and 50s, when king coal heated everything. Smokestack emissions are much, much lower. Natural gas is considered a cleaner, cheaper alternative, although converting existing power plants is expensive. Research into making coal and gas cleaner has virtually stopped; crowded out by green energy.
The bottom line is that green energy is not ready for prime time and is insanely expensive. And you are footing the bill.
Chris Conley
Comments