The Perils of Politics in Renewable Power
“Elections have consequences,” says every elected official over the last 25 years. One of these battlefields squarely sits in the world of renewable energy—wind and solar power to be exact. Being steeped in this world ourselves, it’s clear to us that the current conservative pushback and rhetoric against renewables that’s become increasingly vocal is misleading the public in many cases.
But the same can also be true of folks we’d perceive to be on the other side of the aisle. The anti-offshore wind movement has funded and organized at least 20 groups with the mandate of protecting the whales and ocean marine life. A truly noble cause except that the propaganda that’s being disseminated is creating a false narrative. On any given day there are about 20 separate Twitter (a.k.a. “X”) accounts pumping out information that is patently false. The facts are that essentially every single whale found dead over the last 10 years has died of either plastic ingestion, being struck by a boat prop, or by fishing net entanglement. Not a single death can be attributed to offshore wind. However, if you only read “X” you could easily be convinced otherwise. Renewable energy has become one of the proverbial lightning rods of both far ends of the political spectrum.
In the solar world, intermittency of solar energy production and disposal of solar panels are the key buzzwords that detractors often lean on. It’s true, solar does not collect at night, and no, it does not work well when it snows. But when the sun is out, the energy instantly flows. And based on current projections, over the next 10 years, that energy potential will triple in size. This is cheap, renewable energy that’s easy to maintain and easy to fix. The benefits so clearly outweigh the drawbacks, right? So what’s the problem?
Problem is that this level of potential poses a genuine threat to the fossil fuel establishment, which in turn impacts politicians’ pockets. Prices are coming down fast in solar and that means in the near future, incentives will not be needed. What happens then? Will consumers pay a mere $10,000 for a solar system for a home that produces their own power for all of their needs or will they spend $30,000 over 20 years for access to someone else’s power grid? And what’s more, energy storage costs are dropping even faster than solar. So what happens when consumers can charge their EV with their own solar-based storage system, removing the need to buy gasoline altogether? What’s a smart consumer going to do? It’s not too difficult to see every family in the near future saving about $5,000 per year in easily avoided utility and gasoline costs.
Not to mention, the renewable energy business is booming. The vast majority of the known solar manufacturing, production, and projects in the US are already planned well into 2025 and beyond. This means job creation and wealth generation. Are we to eliminate these positives as well? I don’t think we will.
Are we going to kill the EV car too? It's too late, the toothpaste is out of the tube now. The EV is here to stay. For example, go to Home Depot. Ten years ago, could you imagine seeing such a wide array of battery-powered lawn mowers and weed wackers? There are even battery-powered chainsaws! And just wait ‘til we get solid state batteries in about three more years.
The point is that regardless of policies and rhetoric, we’re all already living the electrified lifestyle. It's not going away, there’s no going back. Those fun folks on “X” would like you to believe otherwise, but it’s simply not the case. Smart money is saying no.
So this season, as the political winds blow, know that it's mostly hot air. Pay close attention to the sources you follow. Always check the science behind that source and remember… the future always wins.
Please email us or call (855) 786-3329 to set up a free onsite solar consultation if you believe the future can and should be bright.