Category Archives: economic prosperity and energy

Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy, Electricity, Economic Prosperity and Environmental Protection, Energy, Politics and Economic Prosperity, Politics & Management, Regulations

ENERGY MATTERS!

Leave a comment

Ken Haapala is President of the organization, “Science and Environmental Policy Project. Ken has been publishing TWTW (The Week That Was) Newsletter since the 1990’s. His informative Newsletters can be found here. This week, Mr. Haapala’s quote of the week is apropos for the importance of energy in our lives.

“The cavemen had the same natural resources at their disposal as we have
today, and the difference between their standard of living and ours is a difference between the knowledge they could bring to bear on those resources and the knowledge used today…..”

Thomas Sowell

I would continue from Sowell’s quote….

To produce sufficient energy that drives our economy, industry and nearly every comfort and convenience that we have come to enjoy since muscle power provided most of the energy for farming and transportation only 125 years ago….

The path to Net-Zero carbon is a path to Socialism, decarbonizing electricity and transportation energy will not improve human health or improve air quality. The so-called transition to reduced carbon dioxide production (aka Net-Zero or IRA) is disconnected from reality and there is no plan to keep an adequate energy supply for sustaining our current life styles, industrial production, freedom of travel and economic prosperity. The current government policies are Anti-American. The Institute for Energy Research has chronicled 200 actions by the Biden Administration which make it harder to produce oil and gas. Link here. Expansion of the government Regulations that are a large part of the “War on Coal” are detailed by Paul Driessen and PA Pundits, “Congress And The Courts Enable Climate And Energy Fantasies And Government Expansion” Here. Coal power restrictions and the likely electricity Blackouts in the future is chronicled by America’s Power, Here. Also, the author’s presentation to the ENERUM Energy Forum, stating “There is NO Energy Policy, only a policy of Decarbonization”, August 2022, Here. More recently, my takeaways of my PowerGen Panel discussion, here.

I used to think the Democrats and Swamp Bureaucrats in government were trained in, “Political Science”, and not real technical engineering science. At one time I thought they just did not understand the technical details of energy and electricity generation and were naive. However, the fact is, there are enough smart, technically trained engineers in the Bureaucracy (14,000 in the DOE & NETL plus 95,000 contractors and 18,000 in the EPA. with an almost $10 Billion Budget) Biden has the engineering talent resources to have become informed if he chose too. The Department of Energy, NETL, EPA, DOD all employ thousands of engineers. Now after observing the energy and electricity policies of the last three years of the Biden Administration I am of the strong opinion that the weakening of America through the “CCP Trojan Horse” Climate Policies…are in fact, all intentional. Many references are provided to support this conclusion in this and previous articles I have written. Links to these articles are provided below.

Eliminating or attempting to eliminate hydrocarbons from use in America is a movement toward de-growth, de-industrialization, food shortages, more inflation and restrictions on our freedoms. Simply stated: Over Regulated & Restrictive Big Government Socialism.

Net-Zero carbon is a path of the politicians to wield even more control over our lives. It is a political movement by unelected NGO’s to influence government officials. The “Swamp Bureaucrats” are out of touch with Reality and the current “Green New Deal” Climate Policies, are codified as the (mis-named) “Inflation Reduction Act“. This sadly, is the result of years of very well organized scare tactics and court actions intended to instill fear and used effectively to demonize the fuels that our society depends on. The war on carbon is not based on science. Net-Zero Carbon is a path to weaken the people of the free western world. This began with the Presidency of Bill Clinton and the ramping up of New Source Review lawsuits and then was further expanded by the revolving door of employment of radical extremists into high government positions during the Obama Administration. An informative report by the 114th Congress is here. My take on the beginning of the War on Carbon is here. My thoughts on the major U.S. Energy policy influencers, here.

Depending on 100% carbon free fuels (and continuing our high quality of life) by 2050 is delusional and impossible!

I have written much on the origins of the war on carbon and the destructive path of prematurely shutting down coal plants for reliable electricity generation. An Energy Forum presentation and three previous articles are here , here and here. In this article I will attempt to consolidate previous thoughts into one to discuss reality. Also a realistic approach to reducing carbon emissions while keeping America’s productive capacity and economy energized.

Energy is the Economy & Energy is the Sustainer of Our High Quality of Life.

We must be realistic about how fast we can reduce carbon emissions without destroying America as we know and love it. Energy powers life as we have come to enjoy it. Each American uses between 830,000 to 1,000,000 BTUs of energy each day. The energy we need and depend on each day is described in numerous articles, three of these previous articles are here, here and here. This quantity and reliability of energy from conventional sources cannot be replaced with wind and solar. Period. See my previous article on the enormity of the energy we depend on, Here. We have come to depend on this quantity of affordable, reliable energy of which 87% is sourced from gasoline, natural gas, Diesel, coal, Jet fuel and nuclear. The current government path is attempting to abolish fossil fuels which provide over 79% of our energy. The figure above showing 89%+ conventional fuels including nuclear and old hydroelectric plants. I consider these (Nuclear, Gas, Coal, Petroleum and Old Hydroelectric plants) all conventional forms of energy. America will continue to require a minimum of 100 Quadrillion BTUs of energy per year and grow to more than 100 Quads with population growth and more application of technology, such as Data Centers and AI. Read more about the increase in electricity growth, here, here and here. These new Data Centers use nearly as much power as aluminum smelting operations. Some over 250 MW each. It will take much more electricity generation to electrify vehicles and power data centers. Data centers today use about 4% of total electricity use. The future of “Electrifying Everything” suggests an increase in electricity use and instantaneous demand, not a decrease.

Reliable Primary Energy and Electricity = Continued and Sustainable High Quality of Life

Energy and affordable/reliable electricity generation is a pre-requisite to sustain our current quality of life and freedom. The sources for this energy beyond 2050, in my opinion, will be from conventional forms of energy: Natural Gas, Nuclear, Coal, Gasoline, Diesel, Jet Fuel and yes, including Coal

Furthermore, Crude oil, natural gas and coal provide the feedstock for production of thousands of products, and including food production. Energy is required for our high quality of life and including all basic essentials. Including Food, Steel, Cement, Plastics, Water Purification, Sewage Treatment and Fertilizer. When energy costs rise, they do in fact contribute to inflation. Why? Because energy is used for everything! From fertilizer for food production to the processing and transportation of ice cream. Primary metals, such as aluminum, copper & steel use enormous quantities of primary energy to produce. Much of that production has been shut down in the U.S. and moved to Asia.

Take aluminum as an example. This is from an article in the WSJ and a presentation I made in 2016. This shows how China climbed from nearly zero aluminum production in the year 2000 to becoming the major producer of over 50% of the world’s aluminum production by 2016. This rise of China’s economy is fueled by energy use. A reminder, it takes about 5 kWh’s of electricity to produce one pound of aluminum. (about 45,000 BTU’s to smelt one pound) This is for just smelting, and it does not include refining of Bauxite to Alumina, transportation or manufacturing energy to produce final products. China uses mostly coal fuel for their aluminum production. The rise of China’s energy and economy is covered by previous articles here and here.

From Dick Storm presentation to the Delaware County Bar Association, July 2016

The IEA report on energy costs impacting food report is here. The production cost component of most grains is about 50% energy related. The small red circles represent the energy cost component of production. Therefore, it is a fact that rising energy costs contribute to inflation.

From IEA Report, How Energy Crisis is Exacerbating the Food Crisis

A Realistic Approach to Electricity Generation with Reduced Carbon Dioxide Emissions

America has led the world in the reduction of the rate of carbon dioxide emissions since 2007. How? Largely due to the substitution of electric power generation using natural gas fuel for power generation. That is, replacing power generation once accomplished with coal fuel, with natural gas powered generation. Natural gas power generation in a modern combined cycle gas turbine plant produces about 50% of the CO2 emissions as produced by coal power generation. The U.S. total carbon dioxide emissions are shown on the chart below. CO2 emissions dropped from a high of about 6,000 million metric tons to about 4,600 million metric tons in 2020. The sharp drop 2019-2020 was due to Covid and shrinking economic activity. However, the reduction in U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide is almost 25%. As the economy recovers CO2 is expected to increase to about 5,000 million metric tons in 2023. This is still a 16 % reduction from 2007. The most effective path to further reductions in total carbon dioxide emissions is to use more nuclear power for power generation. However, due to supply-chain limits and restrictive Federal NRC Regulations, sufficient capacity of new nuclear plants to replace the over 102,000 MW of coal plants shut down since 2012 will take decades. See previous articles here and here.

Just to put the U.S. CO2 Emissions in perspective. Here is a chart from Our World in Data which shows the CO2 emissions of various countries. The U.S. produces about 16% of the world’s CO2 emissions. China produces about 26%. The comparisons of China and U.S. energy and manufacturing was discussed in a previous article.

Carbon dioxide emissions are primarily a matter of hydrocarbon chemistry. Both coal and gas fuels contain carbon and when combusted the products of combustion form CO2 . The creation of CO2 from combustion is impossible to change. Fuels that have fewer carbon atoms, such as methane, create less CO2 than coal. Coal fuel derives most of it’s energy from the combustion of the carbon molecules. Methane derives most of it’s energy from the combustion of the hydrogen molecules. The figure below shows the electric power production 2004 and 2019. The greater use of natural gas is due to the Hydraulic Fracturing Revolution which greatly increased U.S. natural gas production with a consequent reduction is natural gas pricing. Harold Hamm’s book, “Gamechanger” chronicles the Shale Gas Revolution. The increased supply of low cost natural gas kept electricity prices stable until current times.

The electric power generation from natural gas in 2024 is expected to be over 50%. Is This Good?

Why? Because of increased solar and wind generation facilities need to be backed up with reliable, dispatchable Bulk Power generation capacity. Also, reliable coal plants are being prematurely retired and demolished, which I discussed in a previous article here. Therefore natural gas generation has grown rapidly from both the shutdowns of coal plants and the increased CCGT (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine) plants built to provide power when the wind is not blowing and sun not shining.

Greater dependence on natural gas is good for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, as the U.S. has demonstrated since 2007. See chart below.

However, Dependence on “Just in Time” pipeline supplied natural gas is risky for a reliable electricity supply. Why is it risky? Because if pipelines are compromised whether by extreme weather, mechanical failure, government regulations, or by criminal sabotage, the fuel supply can be interrupted. With no fuel on site storage, a major highly efficient and state of the art, 600 MW CCGT power plant will reach zero power output in minutes when pipeline gas stops. However, Coal and nuclear plants can store sufficient primary energy for months and in the case of nuclear, years of generation. A Balanced generation portfolio of at least 75% Dispatchable nuclear and coal plants is preferred, in my experience.

Slide from Dick Storm USCB-OLLI Course, Energy and Electricity Generation 2021

One of the main reasons the total CO2 emissions of the U.S. dropped since 2007 is largely due to the increased use of natural gas to replace coal for power generation. Good, as long as a reliable gas supply is maintained. As mentioned above, and worth repeating, the U.S. will likely reach 50% + dependency on natural gas fueled power plants for fuel in 2024. I see this as an unbalanced and risky generation portfolio. But, then most of my career was as a coal power generation engineer.

Air Quality has Improved since 1970

The overall trend of improving air quality is shown on the chart from the EPA below. Yes, in 1970, the EPA was needed to clean our air. The six major pollutants of CO, Sulfur, Lead, Ozone, Particulates and Nitrogen Oxides have been drastically reduced to healthy levels, even as population, GDP and vehicle miles driven have increased.

https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary

Chemistry of Combustion and CO2

Let’s get back to the fundamental chemistry of natural gas and why natural gas produces less carbon dioxide than coal for the same unit of power generation. Gas power generation produces about half the CO2 of a similar unit of electricity generation from coal. Why? Primarily because natural gas is over 95% methane. The chemical symbol of Methane is CH4 . That is four molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of carbon. This compared to coal which, depending on the coal rank, and on an ash and moisture free basis, derives about 95% of its heating value from carbon. This is the main reason of why and how America has led the world in carbon dioxide reductions since 2012. Substituting coal power generation with natural gas can provide the same primary energy as coal with about 50% of the carbon dioxide emissions, due mostly to the differences of carbon intensity of methane and coal. Another factor in power generation is, that “Combined Cycle Gas Turbine” (CCGT) plants are much more efficient than Rankine Cycle coal fueled steam plants. Modern gas fueled CCGT plants can achieve up to about 65% efficiency, Ultra-supercritical Steam plants up to about 42% efficiency.

Here are examples of coal and methane molecules to illustrate the different carbon intensity of coal and natural gas.

A molecule of methane gas has one central atom of carbon with a molecular weight of 12 surrounded by four atoms of hydrogen, each with a molecular weight of 1.

A coal molecule, by comparison is mostly carbon and derives most of it’s heating value (primary energy) from carbon.

Fundamentals of Energy and Work

America uses right at 100 Quadrillion BTUs of Primary energy. Previous article here. Each BTU (British Thermal Unit) when converted to work at 100% efficiency is equivalent to 778 Foot Pounds of work and when 3,412.6 BTU’s are converted to electricity at 100% efficiency can generate 1 kWh. Human muscle power/energy is equivalent to about 100 watts. Think about using a hand pushed lawnmower, (if you remember those), and compare to cutting your lawn with a 2 Hp gasoline powered lawnmower with less than a gallon of gas in the tank. More on replacing muscle power, energy and economic prosperity are written on previous articles, here, here, here and here.

Energy and Economic Prosperity

Designing and manufacturing products provides jobs. Manufacturing provides funding for R&D to create new and better products. It is best for America if manufacturing was mostly within our borders. I have written on this before and the quote below is copied from substack, Doomberg (3)

Energy is not an input into the economy, IT IS THE ECONOMY. Humanity organizes its economic activities to ensure a steady growth in the extraction and exploitation of primary energy because energy is life, standards of living are defined by how much energy is available to be exploited, and all humans everywhere are perpetually seeking a higher standard of living.

Primary energy is what powers a modern economy and America needs about 100 Quadrillion BTUs of energy each year. This was described in the series parts 1-4.(50, 51, 52, 53)

So, Where Does the 100 Quadrillion BTUs of Primary Energy Come From?

Here are the sources of Primary Energy for the U.S. in 2022.

As can be seen conventional fuels of natural gas, petroleum, nuclear and coal provide 87% of the energy we need (more than 89% if old hydroelectric plants are included). Eliminating fossil fuels (79%) will create great harm to our economy. Those of us that were adults in the 1970’s remember the economic pain and disruption of our lives due to the Oil Embargoes. Temporary loss of industrial capacity, jobs, and restrictions on travel and our way of life. The Oil Embargoes of 1973-1980 were temporary and America solved the energy shortages! Now, Forcing Net-Zero Carbon by current government Regulations will be irreversible and permanent. Our politicians could take a look at the impact on the German economy from their attempt to replace coal and nuclear with wind and solar. It has not worked and is well documented. Here are two references, Here and here.

Loss of Supply-Chains are Nearly Irreversible

Once Net-Zero Carbon is imposed, the Domestic supply chains will be lost. Therefore, without a rational transition Net Zero Carbon policies, aka “Inflation Reduction Act or Green New Deal”, will literally plunge us into darkness and despair if we do not wake up to the need to do much more with natural gas, coal and nuclear power to generate the electricity. We must have reliable, affordable and Dispatchable energy and electricity to sustain our lives. More energy to grow and prosper. I wrote and article covering the path of the U.S. nuclear power industry here. Long story short, we mortally wounded the nuclear steam system supply-chain with over-regulations by the NRC and other government decrees.

Summary and Conclusions

Reduction of Federal Regulations should be top priority. The total government Swamp Bureaucracy has been engaged to restrict conventional forms of energy. This must stop.

A rational path forward is to roll back EPA Rules to those in effect in 2012. It is my strong opinion and observation that any rules applied after 2012, especially those overly restrictive on coal plant emissions are simply weaponization of government against coal. Similar restrictive rules by other government agencies have been applied toward the production, refining and transport by pipeline of oil and gas. The Congressional report here, explains why I picked 2012 as a Roll back year..

Replacing much (but not all) of the 100 Quadrillion BTUs of needed energy in America could be done with carbon free nuclear electrification and even including hydrogen production from nuclear generated electric power. However, with current regulations and supply chain limitations, expanding nuclear beyond the current fleet will take decades. In my view nuclear power is a very good approach. As it was in 1954 when the head of the Atomic Energy Commission proclaimed, “Electricity from nuclear will be too cheap to meter”. It took about 30 years to reach 20% of U.S. electricity generation from nuclear. Since then, enormous regulatory roadblocks have been enacted into law that make a repeat 30 year success story very unlikely. So, what do I recommend? I recommend rolling back EPA rules to those in effect in 2012 and building new coal and nuclear plants. Coal and nuclear generation is the foundation of electricity reliability even today when there is extreme weather, especially extremely cold winter periods. So, why not build some more proven coal and nuclear plants to strengthen our energy and electricity reliability and security with a “Balanced Portfolio” of generation?

In closing, let me quote chapter 8 of Donn Dears book, “Clean Energy Crisis“. This is what Mr. Dears calculated that it would take to replace fossil fuels with carbon free power. Build these:

881 new nuclear power plants similar in size to one of Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Units

BTW it took over ten years to just build two 1,100 MW units at Vogtle

995,141 new 2.5 MW wind turbines

3,919,006 MW of PV of solar power

Read Mr. Dears book. It is only 128 pages including the index, Dears Bio and references. Please also read the other references below. Most importantly, become an energy savvy voter in November. America needs a realistic path forward for energy and electricity production. Thank you for reading this.

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, March 9, 2024

References for further reading and research

  1. Wall Street Journal Editors Opinion, “Big Climate (Government) Censors Opposition to EV’s” : https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-electric-vehicle-mandate-american-fuel-and-petrochemical-manufacturers-ads-fcc-climate-power-578876e5?mod=latest_headlines
  2. NASA Goddard Space Center information on the Environment and methane gas: https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/features/archive/200409_methane/
  3. Doomberg, Atlas Won’t Shrug”, Energy is the Economy, feb. 20, 2024: https://doomberg.substack.com/p/atlas-wont-shrug
  4. Comparisons of China and U.S. from an energy perspective, Jan. 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/18/comparison-of-china-energy-electricity-generation-with-u-s-a/
  5. China CO2 Emissions about 26% of world total in 2022, by Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1037051/china-global-carbon-emission-share/#:~:text=China%27s%20share%20in%20the%20global%20carbon%20emissions%202002%2D2022&text=China%20accounted%20for%2026%20percent,rapid%20industrialization%20and%20economic%20growth.
  6. Without New Thinking on Nuclear Power, Anti-Carbon Policy Can’t Succeed, Nov. 11, 2021 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/11/13/without-new-thinking-on-nuclear-power-anti-carbon-climate-policy-cant-succeed/
  7. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 2, The Reality of Replacing Conventional Forms of Energy, Jan. 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/06/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-2-some-facts-on-the-reality-of-replacing-conventional-forms-of-energy/
  8. Review of Harold Hamm’s Book, “Gamechanger” on Dick Storm blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/17/harold-hamms-book-game-changer-a-must-read-for-elected-officials-and-candidates-for-elective-office/
  9. “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”, Dick Storm blog, Oct. 16, 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  10. Thomas J. Shepstone article, ” Wake up America, Your Energy Security is Being Sabotaged from Within” March 4, 2024 : https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tom-shepstone-b70b04b_wake-up-america-your-energy-security-is-activity-7170753138457567233-SqI3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  11. The Importance of Energy to Power Our Lives, Part 2, Aug. 28, 2020 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/08/28/the-importance-of-energy-part-2-our-energy-sources/
  12. The Importance of Energy, Part 3, Heat Engines, Sept. 9, 2020: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/09/09/the-importance-of-energy-part-3-heat-engines-a-primer/
  13. 830,000 BTUs per Day/Person, Sept. 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/09/16/830000-btus-per-day-person/
  14. Understanding Data Center Electricity Demand by C&C Techgroup, June 2023: https://cc-techgroup.com/data-center-energy-consumption/
  15. Power Hungry Google Data Centers to be Built in S.C. Charleston Business Journal, Feb. 15, 2024: https://charlestonbusiness.com/tech-giant-google-coming-to-dorchester-county/
  16. America is Running Out of Electricity Generation, Washington Post, March 7, 2024: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/amid-explosive-demand-america-is-running-out-of-power/ar-BB1jtM69
  17. EPA Air Quality Trends, Nov. 2023: https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary
  18. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 1,  79 Quadrillion BTUs, The Enormity of the Fossil Energy Systems Providing Sustainable Lives, Jan. 11, 2024 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/01/11/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-1-79-quadrillion-btusthe-enormity-of-the-fossil-energy-systems-providing-sustainable-lives/
  19. The Green Energy Crisis is Here, Part 1, May 29, 2024 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/29/the-green-energy-crisis-is-here-part-1/
  20. The Green Energy Crisis, Part 2, The Influencers that Caused it, :
  21. The Green Energy Crisis, Part 3, June 26, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/26/green-energy-crisis-part-3-public-energy-education-is-needed-each-person-in-the-u-s-uses-about-315-million-btus-of-primary-energy-year-this-is-not-practical-or-even-possible-to-replace-with-win/
  22. The German De-Industrialization Experience from Too Much Dependence on Green Power, Politico on German Indstry Shutting Down, Moving to China due to shortages and high Costs of energy: https://www.politico.eu/article/rust-belt-on-the-rhine-the-deindustrialization-of-germany/
  23. Bloomberg, German Industry Days as Industrial Superpower Coming to an End, due to Energy Costs/shortages: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-02-10/why-germany-s-days-as-an-industrial-superpower-are-coming-to-an-end?embedded-checkout=true
  24. ENERUM Energy Forum in Columbus, Ohio, August 2022. Dick Storm Presentation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_presentation-and-speakers-notes-from-august-activity-7068650158862827520-B-_W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktophttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7056884647858765824?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7056884647858765824%29
  25. Wake Up Americans, Your Energy and Electricity Reliability is At Risk!:
  26. Hawaii Electric, “A Glimpse Into The Future of The Green New Deal” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/06/03/hawaii-a-gimpse-into-the-future-of-the-green-new-deal/
  27. American Dream=100 Quadrillion BTUs of Energy/Year, July 4th, 2022 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/07/04/american-dream-100-quadrillion-btus/
  28. You Tube Video, “Juice” Part #1, Texas 2021 Blackout and concerns for the Grid: https://juicetheseries.com
  29. Five Great Videos about the Grid, Feb. 2024: https://open.substack.com/pub/blackmon/p/meredith-angwin-5-great-videos-about?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  30. The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Nations and the Realities of Energy, Dick Storm Blog, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/08/15/the-rise-fall-and-rise-again-of-nations-and-the-realities-of-energy/
  31. Institute for Energy Research (IER) listing of 200 actions by the Biden Administration and Democrats to make it harder to produce oil and gas in the U.S. March 2024: https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/200-Ways-the-Biden-Administration-Has-Made-it-Harder-to-Produce-Oil-Gas.pdf
  32. NRC Archives on the History of the Lewis Strauss, then AEC Head, phrase, “Nuclear Power Will Be Too Cheap to Meter”: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/history-101/too-cheap-to-meter.html
  33. Excellent article by Paul Driessen on the expansion of Government Regulations that restrict America’s Energy and Electricity Producers, PA Pundits, Feb. 2024: https://papundits.wordpress.com/2024/02/13/congress-and-the-courts-enable-climate-and-energy-fantasies-and-government-expansion/
  34. Robert Bryce article on NGO’s and how they impact Federal Regulations, March 2024: https://open.substack.com/pub/robertbryce/p/these-10-charts-caused-an-ngo-hissy?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  35. Grid Operators Warn of Blackouts due to Excessive EPA Rules, America’s Power, March 6, 2024: https://americaspower.org/operators-regulators-concerned/
  36. 114th Congress, Majority Staff Report, Obama’s Carbon Mandate, August 2015: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  37. Dick Storm USCB-OLLI Courses, Energy and Electricity Generation 2021, 2022 and 2023
  38. Stanford University Report on Human Energy by Muscle power: http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2014/ph240/labonta1/#:~:text=The%20average%20human%2C%20at%20rest,can%20output%20over%202%2C000%20watts.
  39. Dick Storm Rotary Club and Sun City, “Money Talks” Club presentations.
  40. Ron Stein LinkedIn article on the importance of crude oil: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ronaldstein_are-policymakers-oblivious-to-the-importance-activity-7165495295676461056-v58C?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  41. “Clean Energy Crisis”, Book by Donn Dears, 2023. An excellently written, short and concise review of the energy crisis we are facing. Available on Amazon: https://ddears.com/2023/01/03/clean-energy-crisis/
  42. Energy and Economic Prosperity, Comparison of China and U.S. Dick Storm Blog, Sept. 9, 2020 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/09/21/part-4-the-importance-of-energy-to-economic-prosperity/
  43. The rise of China’s Influence in the World and the Need to Reshore Manufacturing to the U.S. , Dick Storm Blog, Nov. 3, 2020: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/11/03/chinas-economic-influence-in-the-world-and-some-thoughts-on-the-need-to-reshore-american-manufacturing/  
  44. How the Energy Crisis is Exacerbating the Food Crisis, IEA, 2023: https://www.iea.org/commentaries/how-the-energy-crisis-is-exacerbating-the-food-crisis
  45. Dick Storm presentation to the “Delaware County Bar Association in Media, PA, “Energy and Economic Prosperity, My Thoughts” July 2016: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2016/07/25/energy-and-economic-prosperity-my-thoughts-dick-storm/
  46. Ken Haapala’s Science Engineering and Environment Policy Project Newsletters, Main page: http://www.sepp.org/the-week-that-was.cfm
  47. Hawaii’s Green New Deal, A Glimpse into the Future of Electricity Reliability and Cost, based on the “Energy Island of Hawaii, June, 2020: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/06/03/hawaii-a-gimpse-into-the-future-of-the-green-new-deal/
  48. Dick Storm Panel Discussion Takeaways at PowerGen 2024, LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_i-had-the-honor-of-being-on-a-powergen-panel-activity-7156046708139782144-zPoZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  49. U.S. Energy Policy Influencers from Dick Storm’s viewpoint, Jan. 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/04/influencers-of-american-energy-policy/
  50. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 1,  79 Quadrillion BTUs, The Enormity of the Fossil Energy Systems Providing Sustainable Lives, Jan. 11, 2024 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/01/11/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-1-79-quadrillion-btusthe-enormity-of-the-fossil-energy-systems-providing-sustainable-lives/
  51. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 2, The Reality of Replacing Conventional Forms of Energy, Jan. 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/06/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-2-some-facts-on-the-reality-of-replacing-conventional-forms-of-energy/
  52.  Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 3, The Transition that Isn’t, from the perspective of Minerals, Feb. 8, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/08/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-3-the-transition-that-isnt-from-the-perspective-of-minerals/
  53. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 4, The True Agenda for Climate Policies, Feb. 13, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/13/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-electricity-generation-and-environmental-protection-part-4-what-is-the-true-agenda-for-climate-policies/
  54. PJM Triples Annual Load Growth Projections Due to New Data Center Demand, Utility Dive, January 2024: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-interconnection-load-forecast-data-center-ev-dominion-firstenergy/704040/
Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Education, Energy, Politics and Economic Prosperity, Environmental, Geopolitics, Keeping America Great, Nuclear, Regulations, Western Civilization

Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Electricity Generation and Environmental Protection, Part 4: What is the True Agenda for Climate Policies?

Leave a comment

Energy and climate policies, if not reversed, are progressing toward shortages of not only fuels for transportation and electricity, but also the supply of products for our materialistic society.(359) This includes food supplies, freedom of travel, quality of life in the western world, weakening of the Free World economy and including an acceleration in the decline of American influence in the world and more…. There is no climate emergency and there are thousands of credible atmospheric and climate scientists that have studied, researched, spoken out and written science based and scholarly articles on the impact of human involvement on climate. However……

The policy makers, including the U.S. EPA, Congress and the Bureaucrats in the Biden Administration have not paid attention to or seemed the least bit interested in digging into the facts.

Climate has changed naturally and with some influence from human behavior. A long list of references are copied below done by credible scientists that understand Meteorology, Atmospheric Science, Engineering and Physics who have analyzed climate and weather patterns. Eight of my individual favorite experts are Dr. Judith Curry, Donn Dears, Dr. Roy Spencer, Dr. John Christy, Dr. Richard Lindzen, the NASA Right Climate Stuff Team, Dr. William Happer and Anthony Watts. Some of these and other experts have joined the CO2 Coalition, Committee For a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), CLINTEL, the Heartland Institute, Heritage Foundation and others. There are over 330 references included below. I am not an expert on climate or weather so I defer to those mentioned (and listed below, most with live links) to explain why we should not destroy our country in the name of so called, Climate Policies” to save the planet. (347) There is no Climate Emergency, so why is the Free World Sabotaging our Energy and Electricity Infra-structure? Please bear with me and read on. It is very complicated and cleverly done so that scare tactics with no accountability has been thoroughly obfuscated….According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the meaning of Obfuscate is: “to make something less clear and harder to understand, especially intentionally“

Origins of Anti-American, Anti-Human, De-Industrialization and De-Growth Environmental Policies

So, how did such wrong headed policies come to be? I wrote a couple years ago, on my thoughts (and with references) how the war on carbon began. That article and references is here. I also, wrote on the Czech Republic’s Vaclav Klaus book, Freedom is not free, What is Endangered, Climate or Freedom? ”Blue Planet in Green Shackles” here and the relationship of energy policies and economic growth for the U.S. here and comparison of U.S. energy and electricity use to that used by China, here. These articles were written more than a year ago.

Last week I finished reading an interesting book on the history of the Federal Reserve. Not expecting to find information on energy or climate policy, one chapter turned out to be quite informative on the world-wide environmental movement. The meticulously researched book is entitled, “The Creature from Jekyll Island” by Edward Griffin. (341) Here are some excerpts from chapter 24, “Doomsday Mechanisms”. here is a scan of pages 531 & 532.

Attempting to De-Obfuscate the topic of Climate Policies?

This is referring to world financial/economic leaders meeting about the time of the drafting of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Also known as the “Earth Summit” More info on the U.N. conference and the IPCC here. (1, 66, 342, 343, 344 )

Interestingly, the author of “The Creature from Jekyll Island” does not mention the “World Economic Forum” but many of the same individuals or the organizations the WEF members are part of, or have been involved all along with the World Economic Forum. (171, 172, 173, 174, 175)

The WEF influencers are linked. Examples are the Environmental activist. NGO’s, U.S. government Bureaucrats, Billionaire Climate activists and the United Nations. Check the references below to verify for yourself. (170, 195, 196, 197, 198, 345, 346, 358)

In addition to the links to the credible organizations with Internet articles listed below, There are numerous books published which also corroborate the twisting of science by the IPCC. (47, 344, 354) These and more are also shown in the references below.

Conclusions

  1. Anthropogenic Climate change policies are not needed and are in fact, weakening America and the western world.
  2. Much of the science behind the Climate Policies is distorted and flawed
  3. The true agenda of the U.N., WEF, Environmental activist NGO’s, Billionaires (358) and politicians(360) is Control over the citizens, not protection of the environment. (355)

Please check and read the references listed below, then decide for yourself.

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, Feb. 13, 2024

Here are some References for further reading to support my conclusions:

  1. U.N. 1992 Earth Summit: https://www.un.org/en/conferences/environment/rio1992
  2. Dick Storm Blog post on the Origins of the “War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  3. Living with Agenda 21, Surrendering Our Freedoms by Dr. H. Lawrence Zillmer, Copyright 2012
  4. U.N. Agenda 21 Info: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf
  5. U.N. Sustainable Development Report, 2021: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/UN-DESA_Back_Common_Future_En.pdf
  6. Capital Research Center, Report on Climate Dollars https://www.climatedollars.org/full-study/a-short-history-of-global-warming-fears/
  7. The NEW Leviathan, Crown Forum, NY 2012 Check Appendix X and summary of $9 Billion in Assets
  8. Wikipedia, “War on Coal” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_coal
  9. Politico, “War on Coal” https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002/
  10. Dick Storm Blog post, “Comparing U.S. and China Energy & Electricity Use” Jan. 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/18/comparison-of-china-energy-electricity-generation-with-u-s-a/
  11. “Energy & Economic Prosperity”, Jan. 2023 on Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/18/comparison-of-china-energy-electricity-generation-with-u-s-a/
  12. Bloomberg, China to Build 150 new nuclear plants, valued about $440 Billion. November 2021: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-11-02/china-climate-goals-hinge-on-440-billion-nuclear-power-plan-to-rival-u-s#xj4y7vzkg
  13. POWER Magazine, 1,000 MW Chinese Coal Plant starts up in Mongolia, Dec 2021: https://www.powermag.com/first-1-gw-unit-of-major-china-coal-fired-plant-comes-online/
  14. U.S.- ASME- Nuclear Status Report July 2022: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/infographic-nuclear-s-aging-issue
  15. U.S. IRA Funds Given to China for Green Power, Cowboy News Jan. 2023: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/12/31/energy-dept-gives-more-taxpayer-money-to-chinese-companies-barrasso-demands-answers/
  16. 14.9 GW of Coal Generating Capacity to be shut down in 2022, WUWT January 2022, David Middleton: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/01/12/us-to-shutter-14-9-gw-of-coal-fired-and-add-46-1-gw-of-utility-scale-solar-pv-in-2022/
  17. The Magic Washing Machine, Hans Rosling, TED Talk. Very informative on the importance of energy to improve the quality of life for millions of people living in poverty:  https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_magic_washing_machine
  18. World Nuclear Organization. China continues to dominate the market for new nuclear build, with 21 reactors under construction at the end of July 2022. In 2018 China became the first country to commission two new designs – the AP1000 and the EPR. China is marketing the Hualong One for export, a largely indigenous reactor design.:  https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/nuclear-power-in-the-world-today.aspx
  19. Jan 4th Blog, Dick Storm’s Nominations of top 16 Energy Policy Influencers: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/04/influencers-of-american-energy-policy/(opens in a new tab)
  20. Rise of China and Need to Reshore American Manufacturing: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-57
  21. IEA China Energy Feb 2022: https://www.iea.org/countries/china
  22. Forbes on China Generating Capacity, about 2,390 GW, Feb 2022: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thebakersinstitute/2022/04/26/coal-to-power-chinas-energy-transition/?sh=7437abc81b9e
  23. EIA China Energy Facts, 2021 : https://www.eia.gov/international/overview/country/CHN
  24. Carbon Brief.org: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-what-does-chinas-coal-push-mean-for-its-climate-goals/
  25. World of CO2 new website, Jan. 2023: https://www.the-world-of-co2.org
  26. Carbon Footprint by country, World Population Review : https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/carbon-footprint-by-country
  27. World Nuclear Association Info on Nuclear Power Contribution to Reducing Manmade Carbon Dioxide Emissions:  https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/nuclear-energy-and-sustainable-development.aspx
  28. BP Statistical Review 2021 (released (July 2022): https://www.bp.com
  29. POWER Magazine, Sonal Patel, Sept 9, 2022, EPA Rules likely to shut down about 86 GW of coal generation in next few years: https://www.powermag.com/group-epas-coordinated-regulatory-assault-on-coal-power-could-push-retirements-beyond-86-gw-by-2030/?oly_enc_id=3247D5884312C9W
  30. China and World Carbon Dioxide emitters Columbia Univ.: https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/getting-30-60-how-china-s-biggest-coal-power-cement-and-steel-corporations-are-responding-national
  31. Davos 2023, China to Boost Oil Demand by at least 500,000 BBL’s/day: https://energynow.com/2023/01/davos-2023-china-to-boost-oil-demand-by-up-to-500000-bpd/
  32. WSJ, July 19, 2022, Climate Policy Causes Power Shortages : https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-wests-climate-policy-debacle-global-warming-energy-putin-russia-fossil-fuel-power-summer-heat-11658084481
  33. WSJ July 19, 2022, Importance of Nuclear: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-global-nuclear-comeback-green-energy-fossil-fuels-supply-climate-mandates-power-generation-11658170860?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_4&cx_artPos=1&mod=WTRN#cxrecs_s
  34. Canary Media, “China Owns the Solar Supply Chain, Jeopardizing the Energy Transition”, July 23, 2022: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/china-owns-the-solar-supply-chain-jeopardizing-the-energy-transition?utm_campaign=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=220673447&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9qdplyTWSJwNbSUcaZsyQqMfEGosX_vUIpTFtv0RmnmBdVZVFKyZrThPLeb_nvaJ635TpzDjz8qaeF7K3f2mujCqjbtm3ezmo3tQu9mry8L1boHrk&utm_source=newsletter
  35. IEA Solar Supply Chain Report, July 2022: https://www.iea.org/reports/solar-pv-global-supply-chains?utm_content=buffer2109b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
  36. IEA Energy and Food Production: https://www.iea.org/commentaries/how-the-energy-crisis-is-exacerbating-the-food-crisis
  37. Liberty Energy, “Bettering Human Lives Report” An excellent resource to show the importance of energy to living a High Quality of Life: https://www.libertyenergy.com/betteringhumanlivesv2/
  38. WNA Uranium Suppliers: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/world-uranium-mining-production.aspx
  39. POWER Magazine, August 1, 2022, OSAKI-CoolGen Plant J-Power, Japan: https://www.powermag.com/a-japanese-project-demonstrates-a-carbon-neutrality-pathway-for-coal-power/
  40. Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, Global CCS: https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/State-of-the-Art-CCS-Technologies-2022.pdf
  41. Global CCS Institute Library:  https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/resources/multimedia-library/
  42. What are SMR’s? By International Atomic Energy Agency: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs
  43. Dr. Nicolas Kokel Report on the importance of conventional forms of energy, August 2022: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/energy-transitions-reboot-dr-nicolas-kokel/
  44. Andy May, Petro-Physicist, Report on increased energy use in the world 2020-2021: https://andymaypetrophysicist.com/2023/01/05/energy-use-2020-to-2021/
  45. CLINTEL Scientists on Climate Change info, website: https://clintel.org
  46. World of CO2 new website, Jan. 2023:  https://www.the-world-of-co2.org
  47. Tim Ball, Corruption of Science, 2014: https://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/EPAC/BOOK%20REVIEW%20-%20‘THE%20DELIBERATE%20CORRUPTION%20OF%20CLIMATE%20SCIENCE%20by%20TIM%20BALL.pdf
  48. Donn Dears New Book, “Clean Energy Crisis”: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-Fg
  49. Bjorn Lomborg Science Direct, Energy and Social Changes, Jan. 2023: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162520304157
  50. CO2 Facts on Climate Change and Science Based Information: https://co2coalition.org
  51. WUWT Weaponizing Alarmism on Climate, Steven Koonin and Jordan Peterson: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/17/unsettled-climate-and-science-dr-steven-koonin/
  52. State of American Energy Report by API, The Solution is Here!:  https://events.api.org/reports/soae-2023/
  53. This report reveals much of what is wrong with the EPA. 114th Congress Report on Obama Carbon Policies and the revolving door of key people from well funded & Influential NGO Green Groups: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  54. Washington Examiner: Gina McCarthy CEO of NRDC: https://eelegal.org/washington-examiner-gina-mccarthy-and-nrdc-together-again/
  55. Ken Braun’s article on Jennifer Graham background at Capital Research Center, “Green Watch”: https://capitalresearch.org/article/bonkers-about-batteries-the-unauthorized-biography-of-jennifer-granholm/
  56. Dept. of Interior Sec’y Deb Harland on Utah Land which has energy reserves: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/15/deb-haaland-national-monument-protections-joe-biden-trump
  57. E & E News June 6, 2023. How Green New Dealers became Washington Power Players: https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-green-new-dealers-became-washington-power-players/
  58. Profile of the Department of the Interior, compiled by Robert Stilson of CRC: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-department-of-the-interior/
  59. CRC Profile of the Department of Energy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-department-of-energy/
  60. CRC on the EPA: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-independent-agencies/#environmental-protection-agency
  61. CRC on the WH Council on Environmental Quality: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#council-on-environmental-quality
  62. CRC on the WH Office of Domestic Climate Policy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#office-of-domestic-climate-policy
  63. CRC on the Office of Science and Technology Policy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#office-of-science-and-technology-policy
  64. CRC on environmental group connections in this blog post from June 2021: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nonprofits-in-the-biden-administration-special-interest-and-advocacy-groups/
  65. Science Matters on the Roots of Environmentalism, Jan 2023: https://rclutz.com/2023/01/06/from-nature-conservation-to-climate-calamity/#like-28807
  66. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”:  https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  67. The UK and European experiences with “Green Energy” should be a clear warning to the U.S.A., The Telegraph, June 11, 2023: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/britain-s-green-energy-disaster-should-be-an-awful-warning-to-americans/ar-AA1compu?OCID=ansmsnnews11
  68. How the Greens Went Mainstream, Foreign Policy, April 2021: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/23/how-the-greens-went-mainstream/
  69. Russian Funding of Anti-Fossil Fuels Groups in U.S. March 2022, The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/
  70. Russian funding of greens in Europe, reported by the Guardian, June 19, 2014: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/19/russia-secretly-working-with-environmentalists-to-oppose-fracking
  71. Washinton Free Beacon article on EPA Requests DOJ to Investigate Dark Money to Environmental Activist Groups, October 2020:  https://freebeacon.com/national-security/epa-requests-doj-investigate-foreign-funding-of-environmental-groups/
  72. Dark Money accepted by Democrats from BlueGreen Alliance admission, Washington free Beacon May 24, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/senate-finance-committee-dems-said-theyd-fight-dark-money-they-just-fawned-over-a-liberal-dark-money-operative/
  73. “So-Called” Democracy Alliance Investment Report, 2014: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1202744/da-portfolio2012-2014-042714.pdf
  74. Swiss Billionaire Bankrolls Biden Agenda through Arabella Advisors, Reported in Washington Free Beacon, April 4, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/swiss-billionaire-bankrolls-biden-agenda-with-63-million-in-dark-money/
  75. Meet the Group behind Banning Gas Stoves, Rocky Mountain Institute Creates anti Gas Stove Campaign, partially funded by China, as reported in Washington free Beacon, January 16, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/meet-the-green-energy-group-behind-the-study-thats-driving-calls-to-ban-gas-stoves/
  76. Stacey Abrams working with Group, Rewiring America, to Ban Gas Stoves. Group has ties with Chinese Funding, Washington Free Beacon, March 16, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/democrats/election-denier-stacey-abrams-is-now-working-to-eliminate-gas-stoves/
  77. Obama’s Man in China is now China’s Man in Washington, Max Baucus is talking head for China, Washington Free Beacon, May 21, 2020: https://freebeacon.com/national-security/obamas-man-in-china-now-beijings-man-in-washington/
  78. Numerous articles on Environmental Activists around the world, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/us/topics/environmental-activism-3496
  79. BBC Report on 50 years of Activism, How the Biggest Environmental Movement Began April 2020: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200420-earth-day-2020-how-an-environmental-movement-was-born
  80. Meet the Activists, Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/meet-the-activists
  81. House Lawmakers Step Up Action on Green Groups Working with Foreign Countries, June, 2018, Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-environment-congress-idUSKBN1JG204
  82. Washington Examiner, June 2018: Russian Groups Gave Millions to Green Groups to Fight Fracking in U.S.: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russian-funded-environmental-group-gave-millions-to-anti-fracking-groups  
  83. GAO Report on Foreign Influence of U.S. Research, Oct. 2021: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105434
  84. FBI Investigating Foreign Influence of Jan. 6, 2020 Capital Riot, NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fbi-probing-if-foreign-governments-groups-funded-extremists-who-helped-n1254525
  85. Capital Research Report on Combatting Foreign Influence of American Institutions, Robert Stilson, October 2020 : https://capitalresearch.org/article/combating-foreign-government-influence-in-american-institutions/  
  86. Report of Uranium One Deal sale to Russia and Russian Influence of the Obama’s and Clintons, Fox News 2018 : https://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II06/20190625/109694/HHRG-116-II06-20190625-SD004.pdf
  87. The Hill, Wikileaks Releases Alleged John Podesta emails on Russian Business dealings of Clintons and Obama, Oct. 10, 2016: https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/299904-wikileaks-releases-alleged-podesta-emails/
  88. Politico, What you Need to Know About Hillary Clinton and Uranium One Deal, Nov. 14, 2017:https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/14/hillary-clinton-uranium-one-deal-russia-explainer-244895
  89. Oil Price.com report on Russia Owning some U.S. Nuclear Fuel as a result of the Uranium One Deal, May 6, 2015: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Russia-Really-Own-20-Of-The-US-Uranium-Reserves.html
  90. John Podesta was involved in a major deal with Russians in 2011-2019, Breitbart News, April 4, 2019: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/03/collusion-russians-gave-35-million-to-company-with-john-podesta-on-board/  
  91. John Podesta’s brother Tony received payments as a Lobbyist for Russia on Uranium One Deal and was not registered as a Foreign Agent,  Daily Caller, Nov. 2017  :  https://dailycaller.com/2017/11/05/tony-podesta-lobbied-for-russias-uranium-one-and-did-not-file-as-a-foreign-agent/
  92. Forbes, Oct. 25, 2017; “Why Was Justice Dept. Silent on Criminal Activity of Nuclear Agency During Obama’s Administration”: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2017/10/25/why-was-obamas-justice-department-silent-on-criminal-activity-by-russias-nuclear-agency/?sh=38d0c3fabe17  
  93. American Thinker, October 2017 article, So what was John Podesta’s now-collapsed Russian green energy scheme really all about?https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/10/so_what_was_john_podestas_nowcollapsed_russian_green_energy_scheme_really_all_about.html
  94. John Podesta And Podesta Group Under Investigation By FBI And DOJ Technocracy News, August 2016: https://www.technocracy.news/john-podesta-and-podesta-group-under-investigation-by-fbi-and-doj/
  95. Climate Depot, March 6, 2022, Investigate Russia’s covert funding of US anti-fossil fuel groups:https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/03/06/investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/
  96. The Hill, March 1, 2022, Russia Investigation on Involvement with U.S. Anti-Fossil Fuels Groups: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/  
  97. BIV.com, Canadian Environmental Groups Received $1.3 Billion in Foreign Funding : https://biv.com/article/2021/10/canadian-environmental-groups-got-13-billion-foreign-funding-inquiry
  98. Natural Resources Defense Council Receives 100 Million from Jeff Bezos, Nov. 2020: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/nrdc-receives-100-million-bezos-earth-fund-accelerate-climate-action
  99. Big Green Radicals Funding, NRDC : https://biggreenradicals.com/group/natural-resources-defense-council/
  100. Washington Free Beacon report on Foreign Funding through Bermuda of Environmental Extremist Groups, August 2013 : https://freebeacon.com/national-security/liberal-foundation-distributed-money-from-bermuda-to-liberal-nonprofits/
  101. Washington Examiner, Leftists Activists Demand Democrats Keep Nuclear and Carbon Capture Out of Green Energy Bill, May 12, 2021: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/activists-demand-renewable-energy-standard
  102. Here are 36 Organizations Helping to Solve the Climate Crisis (and weaken the U.S.A.) FoodTank.com, 2020 : https://foodtank.com/news/2020/10/36-organizations-helping-solve-the-climate-crisis/
  103. Russia Funding Activist Groups in U.S. Center for Security Policy, March 2019 : https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/moscow-secretly-funded-us-anti-fracking-groups-is-it-now-attacking-us-energy-companies/
  104. Robert Bryce, No Uranium for Nuclear, June 9, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/no-u
  105. Tom Steyer in Philanthropy News, 2014, Donates 50 million to NextGen Climate Action in Florida for Climate Change: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/hedge-fund-billionaire-to-step-up-climate-change-advocacy-efforts
  106. Sheldon Whitehouse’s new book where he will claim the opposition party does what he and his party have done very effectively, for decades: “The Scheme, where He accuses Republicans of using Dark Money”, when in fact, the Democrats do it much more: https://thenewpress.com/books/scheme
  107. Ron Clutz Blog “Science Matters” June 12, 2023 on the Climate Blame Game & “Energy Absurdities” in Canada: https://rclutz.com/2023/06/12/absurd-climate-blame-game/#like-31517
  108. Dick Storm Blog post, “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  109. West Virginia Shelly Moore Capito Opinion in WVA “Intelligencer” Newspaper, July 2022 on Joe Goffman as nominee to EPA position: https://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/local-columns/2022/07/joe-goffman-the-wrong-choice-to-help-lead-epa/
  110. Pentagon to Electrify the Military, Nov. 2021, Military.com: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/11/09/electric-military-vehicles-are-part-of-biden-climate-agenda-pentagon-says.html
  111. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”:  https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  112. Environment America.org, Why Leading Environmentalists Back U.S. Senator Ed Markey: https://environmentamerica.org/articles/supporting-ed-markey/
  113. The Guardian on Bill Gates views on Climate, Feb. 2021: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/13/bill-gates-on-the-climate-crisis-i-cant-deny-being-a-rich-guy-with-an-opinion
  114. John Kerry Targets Agriculture at WEF Speech, May 2023, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-targets-agriculture-part-climate-crusade
  115. WEF Calls for Limiting Private Car Use, June 2022:  https://www.internationalfreepress.com/2023/06/wef-document-calls-for-limiting-private.html
  116. WEF on Population Degrowth, June 2022: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
  117. WEF Calls to reduce vehicles by eliminating ownership, Climate Depot, Aug. 2022: https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/08/01/world-economic-forum-calls-to-reduce-private-vehicles-by-eliminating-ownership/
  118. Greta Thunberg Time Line, April 2021, Independent, UK: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/greta-thunberg-bbc-documentary-timeline-b1830225.html
  119. Sierra Club and Abortion Alignment, On the Issues, : https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Sierra_Club_Abortion.htm
  120. U.N., Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club Alignment Sept. 2015:  https://unfoundation.org/media/un-foundation-planned-parenthood-federation-of-america-sierra-club-announce-winners-of-first-ever-why-we-care-youth-emerging-leaders-for-reproductive-rights-contest/
  121. Sierra Club & NRDC Environmental Groups Urge Support for Affordable Care Act and Reproductive Rights, March 2017: https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/03/environmental-groups-urge-support-affordable-care-act-and-planned-parenthood
  122. Sierra Club & Planned Parenthood Join Conferences to Explain Sex and the Environment. Nov. 2007, Catholic News Agency,: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/11091/sierra-club-joins-planned-parenthood-to-offer-conferences-on-sex-and-the-environment
  123. Lecture by Michael Rectenwald at Hillsdale College on “What is the Great Reset”, The Great Reset movement toward World Totalitarianism: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/
  124. Daily Skeptic, Feb. 23, 2023, by 30 year Reuter’s veteran Journalist “I Thought CO2 Was Causing Global Warming, I was Wrong”: https://dailysceptic.org/2023/02/23/when-i-covered-climate-change-for-reuters-i-thought-co2-was-to-blame-for-rising-temperatures-i-was-wrong/
  125. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, 60 years later, Fails Test of Time, WUWT: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/17/carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007
  126. John Kerry, Ties to Radical Environmental Groups, but kept secret, Oct. 2022, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-probe-john-kerrys-ties-eco-groups-efforts-shield-oversight
  127. Al Gore’s 30 Years of Errors, by Capital Research Center: https://capitalresearch.org/article/al-gores-30-years-of-climate-errors-part-2/
  128. Military.com News article on electrifying military vehicles, Nov. 2021: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/11/09/electric-military-vehicles-are-part-of-biden-climate-agenda-pentagon-says.html
  129. Heritage Foundation Report on Biden’s Energy Policies Hurting Producers and Consumers: Dec. 2021: https://www.heritage.org/energy-economics/commentary/bidens-many-anti-energy-policies-are-hurting-producers-consumers-alike
  130. ER (Institute for Energy Research) reports on Biden Energy Policies: https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/about/ier-site-manager/articles/
  131. United Nations web page for Agenda 21/30: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/
  132. Harold Hamm’s book review, “Game Changer” recommendation on Dick Storm blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/17/harold-hamms-book-game-changer-a-must-read-for-elected-officials-and-candidates-for-elective-office/
  133. North American Electricity Generation Council (NERC) August 2023 Report: https://www.nerc.com/comm/RISC/Related%20Files%20DL/RISC_ERO_Priorities_Report_2023_Board_Approved_Aug_17_2023.pdf
  134. EPOCH Times, Is ESG Illegal?: Kevin Stocklin on the New ‘High Priests of Society’ Transforming Corporate America video on the harm of ESG policies: https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/is-esg-illegal-kevin-stocklin-on-the-new-high-priests-of-society-transforming-corporate-america-5491828?utm_source=ref_share&src_src=ref_share&utm_campaign=gv-cc&src_cmp=gv-cc
  135. America’s Power statement on the importance of coal plants to provide reliable power generation during the recent heat wave: https://americaspower.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Heat-Wave-Blog-September-202378.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2y0Tb8H7_fnsIYut1IRFdAWQx5ljYW5d3B-Yg9p6oQ1FTXRTU_y4EKVWg_aem_AfK9EPeglWxPOB-g_fIJWyhi9CwXDutc_uZ1rODmrxd2VD1EDQ2ikj4Ersx10d79bUw&mibextid=2JQ9oc
  136. Hillsdale College video series summary of the World Economic Forum and “What is the Great Reset?” by Michael Rectenwald
  137. “Woke Capitalism vs. Profit” by Vivek Ramaswamy
  138. “Cashless Society” by James Rickards
  139. “Is ‘Environmental Justice’ Good for the Environment?” by Mark P. Mills
  140. “The Great Reset from China’s Perspective” by David P. Goldman
  141. “The Alternative to the Great Reset” by Brian Wesbury
  142. POWER article on Reliability concerns of NERC, May 2023: https://www.powermag.com/nerc-identifies-energy-policy-as-key-risk-to-grid-reliability-amid-evolving-challenges/
  143. Donn Dears book, “Clean Energy Crisis”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/12/30/clean-energy-crisis/
  144. Inside Lines, PJM Announcement of Power Shortages due to EPA Rules, August 8, 2023: https://insidelines.pjm.com/pjm-ercot-spp-and-miso-join-together-on-comments-on-epa-emissions-rule/
  145. Rio Times article on the World Economic Forum: https://www.riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/modern-day-censorship/meet-all-3800-graduates-of-klaus-schwabs-globalist-wef-education-programs-by-name/
  146. CO2 is Not A Pollutant, WUWT, Sept 8, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/09/10/why-co2-is-not-a-pollutant/
  147. U.S. Navy CO2 limits in submarines: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30511437/
  148. WUWT “Does CO2 Affect Human Performance?” https://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/10/17/claim-co2-makes-you-stupid-as-a-submariner-that-question/
  149. Science Matters, Ron Clutz, Climatism History  Science Matters, Sept. 11, 2023: https://rclutz.com/2023/09/11/climatism-based-on-history-of-errors/#like-32981
  150. One Barrel of Oil, What Can it Provide? A Great Graphic: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/can-made-oClintel Report, “There is No Climate Emergency” : https://clintel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/WCD-version-06272215121.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  151. Daily Skeptic on John Clauser Slamming the Corrupt Science used to create a “Climate Emergency” : https://dailysceptic.org/2023/07/14/nobel-physics-laureate-2022-slams-climate-emergency-narrative-as-dangerous-corruption-of-science/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  152. Robert Bryce Substack on “Carbon Myopia” and the need of 3 Billion people on the planet that need to be lifted from poverty: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/carbon-myopia/comments
  153. EPA Regulations will Destroy the American Power Grid, Ed Ireland Substack: https://edireland.substack.com/p/epa-proposes-anti-fossil-fuel-regulations?r=kv1a9&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
  154. WUWT On National Academy of Engineering Summer Report on decarbonization, July 11, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/11/national-academies-climate-junk-summit-7-11-7-12-is-open-to-all/
  155. America’s Power, Editorial on the Importance of Coal, July 10, 2023: https://americaspower.org/the-need-for-sensible-epa-rules/
  156. America’s Power Key Takeaways of Winter Storm Elliott Report on the importance of coal: https://americaspower.org/new-report-evaluates-the-performance-of-electricity-resources-during-storm-elliott/
  157. WUWT on the “Myth of Replacing Fossil Fuels”: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/03/the-myth-of-replacing-fossil-fuels/
  158. The Rise and Fall of the American Grid, American Affairs Journal, Fall, 2022: https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2022/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-american-electrical-grid/
  159. Balancing Energy Security, Affordability, the Economy, Decarbonization and Security, Energy Policy Research Foundation: https://assets.realclear.com/files/2023/06/2210_eprinc_balancing_energy_security_affordability_and_decarbonization.pdf
  160. EU Report and long list of references on the “DeIndustrialization of Europe” by forcing wind power on the citizens: https://us1-campaign–archive-com.translate.goog/?u=a15449610a1df64c85f7499e1&id=5b33ebcfdc&e=59342c48f8&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=auto
  161. Time Magazine, “The Modern World Can’t Exist Without These Four Ingredients. They All Require Fossil Fuels”, Vaclav Smil May 2022:  https://time.com/6175734/reliance-on-fossil-fuels/
  162. “Why Climate Change is Not an Emergency”, CO2 Coalition Presentations, May 27, 2023: https://co2coalition.org/media/why-climate-change-is-not-an-emergency/
  163. German Industry Shutting Down and Moving, due to high energy process, CNBC June 21, 2023 : https://www-cnbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/06/21/high-german-energy-prices-are-seeing-some-companies-relocate-bdi.html
  164. China Influence of U.S.  Green Groups and U.S. Environmental Policy, Capital Research Center video:  https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-china-designed-american-environmental-policy/
  165. California Globe, California’s Electricity Policy Failure, June 18, 2023: https://californiaglobe-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/californiaglobe.com/articles/the-failure-of-california-electricity-policy-in-one-image/amp/
  166. Robert Bryce Substack on the “Iron Law of Electricity” Increases in coal use around the world, June 17, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/the-iron-law-of-electricity-strikes
  167. Dark Money from Utilities to Elected Officials or Candidates, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/15/us-power-companies-political-lobbying-donations-nonprofit
  168. FERC Energy Regulator States, “Power Grid is Facing Dire Consequences Due to Coal & Gas Retirements”, “WUWT June 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/13/federal-energy-regulatory-commissioner-mark-christie-power-grid-is-facing-dire-consequences-due-to-coal-gas-retirements/
  169. Professor Michael Kelly, UK, June 2017: https://www.soci.org/news/general-news/professor-michael-kelly-lecture
  170. U.N., Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club Alignment Sept. 2015: https://unfoundation.org/media/un-foundation-planned-parenthood-federation-of-america-sierra-club-announce-winners-of-first-ever-why-we-care-youth-emerging-leaders-for-reproductive-rights-contest/
  171. WEF Limiting Private Cars:  https://www.internationalfreepress.com/2023/06/wef-document-calls-for-limiting-private.html
  172. WEF on Degrowth, June 2022: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
  173. WEF Calls to reduce vehicles by eliminating ownership, Aug. 2022: https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/08/01/world-economic-forum-calls-to-reduce-private-vehicles-by-eliminating-ownership/
  174. John Kerry Speech on “The Great Reset” New American, Nov. 2020: https://thenewamerican.com/john-kerry-talks-great-reset-at-world-economic-forum/
  175. World Economic Forum Doesn’t Even Hide their Intent to Create Decline of the Western World:  https://open.substack.com/pub/blackmon/p/fridays-energy-absurdity-wef-isnt?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  176. Capital Research’s Ken Braun on Leftist Organizations Funding anti Fossil Fuels: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nuclear-power-hating-hypocrites-part-1/
  177. Robert Bryce, No Uranium for Nuclear, June 9, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/no-u
  178. The Federal War on your Life-Style, WUWT, June 8, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/07/the-federal-war-against-your-lifestyle/
  179. The Decline of the American Empire, By “The Burning Platform” June 2023 : https://www.theburningplatform.com/2023/05/31/fall-of-american-empire-and-descent-into-a-new-dark-ages/
  180. Rigzone-“Will We Hit Net Zero Carbon by 2050” May 30, 2023: https://www.rigzone.com/news/will_the_world_hit_net_zero_by_2050-30-may-2023-172906-article/?utm_campaign=DAILY_2023_05_30&utm_source=GLOBAL_ENG&utm_medium=EM_NW_F1
  181. Germany Loses Trust in Automotive Manufacturing of the Future and other EU Industrial News:  https://www.euractiv.com/sections/industrial-policy-economy-jobs/
  182. EPA opposes Petrochemical Industries in Louisiana using Taxpayer funds, Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2023/05/25/how-epa-funds-the-petrochemical-industrys-opposition/?sh=7c39025a7176
  183. Mining of Rare Earth Minerals has a Dirty Little Secret, by FEE, May 2023:  https://fee.org/articles/green-energy-has-a-dirty-secret/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020_FEEDaily
  184. Congressional Research Service State of Electric Utilities, 1973-1984: https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/99th-congress-1985-1986/reports/doc10b-entire_1.pdf
  185. Forbes article on Environmental Groups Harming the Poor, https://www.forbes.com/sites/tilakdoshi/2023/05/23/environmental-ngos-in-the-global-south-saviors-of-humanity-or-predatory-special-interests/?sh=78c19c9e59aa
  186. Dr. Judith Curry Review of CLINTEL report analyzing IPCC-AR6: https://judithcurry.com/2023/05/13/clintels-critical-evaluation-of-the-ipcc-ar6/
  187. Dr. Judith Curry book, “Climate Uncertainty and Risk”
  188. CLINTEL website: https://clintel.org
  189. Capital Research Center, Green Watch: https://capitalresearch.org/category/green-watch/
  190. WUWT Energy Crisis creates a Food production crisis due to fertilizer shortages: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/11/entire-global-food-supply-at-risk-from-disastrous-response-to-so-called-nitrogen-crisis/
  191. 60 Minutes program on Vulnerability of Electric Grid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65siHaUPsRM
  192. Why Batteries Cannot Backup solar and Wind generation: https://stopthesethings.com/2023/04/29/grand-delusion-why-battery-storage-cant-fix-wind-solars-intermittency-problem/
  193. Harvard Wind Study shows Greater Environmental Impact & Land Requirements than Originally Thought for Renewables: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/10/large-scale-wind-power-has-its-down-side/
  194. American Policy Center publication, “Agenda 21, The Wrenching Transformation of America”, americanpolicy.org
  195. Competitive Enterprise Institute, report of some of the wealthiest environmental activists, 2019: https://cei.org/blog/the-millionaires-and-billionaires-of-environmental-politics/
  196. Capital Research Center, Influence Watch website on “Stop the money pipeline” to activist groups: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/stop-the-money-pipeline/
  197. The Heartland Institute information on Climate Science and Environmental Activists: https://heartland.org/about-us/who-we-are/paul-driessen/
  198. Dick Storm post on the U.N., Energy and World Peace: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/04/05/energy-world-peace/
  199. Dick Storm Blog, “What is Endangered, “Climate or Freedom” 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/02/27/what-is-endangered-climate-or-freedom-this-is-the-sub-title-of-the-book-blue-planet-in-green-shackles/
  200. Dick Storm, March 2021 Power Magazine Commentary: https://www.powermag.com/blog/all-fuels-are-important-but-thermal-power-generation-is-still-number-1/
  201. Green Energy Crisis, Part1: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/29/the-green-energy-crisis-is-here-part-1/  
  202. Green Energy Crisis Part 2, June 14, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/14/green-energy-crisis-part-2-meet-the-policy-makers-that-caused-it/
  203. Green Energy Crisis Part 3, June 26, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/26/green-energy-crisis-part-3-public-energy-education-is-needed-each-person-in-the-u-s-uses-about-315-million-btus-of-primary-energy-year-this-is-not-practical-or-even-possible-to-replace-with-win/
  204. Dick Storm Green Energy Crisis, Part 4, August 2, 2023, How to Solve it,  Improve Perceptions of Coal and all other Conventional Fuels: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/08/02/green-energy-crisis-part-4-how-to-solve-it-improve-the-perception-of-coal-and-all-conventional-fuels/
  205. Part 5, Green Energy Crisis: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/19/part-5-green-energy-crisis-a-look-back-on-public-energy-electricity-education-in-the-1950s-and-1960s/c
  206. Dick Storm Blog, “The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of Nations and the Realities of Energy”:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/08/15/the-rise-fall-and-rise-again-of-nations-and-the-realities-of-energy/
  207. Dick Storm Blog post on “How the U.S. War on Carbon” came to be: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  208. Energy and Economic Prosperity, my Thoughts: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/11/18/energy-and-economic-prosperity-2/
  209. Texas Missing over 6,000 MW and Rockdale Aluminum Smelter 2021: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-7R
  210. Rise of China and Need to Reshore American Manufacturing: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-57
  211. China Goes All In for All Fuels are Important: Dick Storm Blog: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-n4
  212. Top 16 Influencers of U.S. Energy Policy: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/04/influencers-of-american-energy-policy/
  213. Net Zero Watch, UK Experience with Wind Farms, January 7, 2023: https://mailchi.mp/86e68627c77f/payments-for-windfarms-to-switch-off-soar-to-quarter-billion-pounds-193411?e=9e46528ac6
  214. World Nuclear Association Info on Nuclear Power Contribution to Reducing Manmade Carbon Dioxide Emissions:  https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/energy-and-the-environment/nuclear-energy-and-sustainable-development.aspx
  215. Solar Disappointment in the Southwest, National Review, Jan 4, 2023: https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/01/a-bright-shining-disappointment/
  216. ESG Directive from Biden, reported in Oil & Gas Journal, Jan. 2023: https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/government/article/14288039/biden-administration-directs-agencies-to-prioritize-ghg-reductions  
  217. CO2 Coalition: https://co2coalition.org
  218. Physicist Wallace Manheimer on CO2, January 2023: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/view/0/47745  Abstract here: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/view/0/47745
  219. State of American Energy Report by API: https://events.api.org/reports/soae-2023/
  220. Rare Earths from coal: https://www.renuva.com
  221. PA Pundits, Pursuit of the Impossible” Net Zero: https://papundits.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/net-zero-the-pursuit-of-the-impossible/?blogsub=subscribed#subscribe-blog
  222. Grid Down PowerUp:  https://griddownpowerup.com
  223. Global Electricity Prices: https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/electricity_prices/
  224. EMP Commission Reports: http://www.empcommission.org
  225. Energy Dept. Report on Transformers for Grid: https://www.energy.gov/oe/addressing-security-and-reliability-concerns-large-power-transformers
  226. Detailed report on Transformer Manufacturers of world, see pgs 19-23 on suppliers: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/04/f15/LPTStudyUpdate-040914.pdf  
  227. WSJ AMERICA SELF-SABOTAGES GRID: https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-self-sabotages-its-electrical-grid-renewable-fossil-fuel-power-11672685320
  228. US Grid Real Time power: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/gridmonitor/dashboard/electric_overview/US48/US48
  229. WUWT The Future of Oil, Part 1 : https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/24/does-the-oil-industry-have-a-future-part-i/
  230. WUWT The Future of Oil pt 2: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/26/should-nations-stop-using-fossil-fuels-part-ii/
  231. WUWT The Future of Oil Pt #3: Master Resource: https://www.masterresource.org/mexico-energy-policy/oil-inustry-salazar-2/
  232. National Review, Russians Fund Environmentalists: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/how-russia-backed-environmentalism-is-leading-to-blackouts-in-new-england/
  233. German Extremists, Funded by Russia: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/putins-green-fifth-column/
  234. World Nuclear Assoc. and EPRI Presentations, Dec. 2022:  https://epri.box.com/s/8uu46f5hoo3x9loni23qvvmdopz7eg62  
  235. Real Clear Energy, “Are you Really against Fossil Fuels?”:  https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2023/01/24/are_you_really_against_fossil_fuels_read_this_before_you_answer_877363.html
  236. GWPF UK Study, Where are the Engineers” By Professor Michael Kelly : https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2020/05/KellyDecarb-1.pdf
  237. GWPF NZ Professor, Michael Kelly: http://www.bryanleyland.co.nz/power-industry-stuff.html
  238. Samuel Furfari,  “Hydrogen, an old Idea and still Windy”: https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/features/hydrogen-a-century-old-idea-and-still-windy/
  239. New England Electricity Sources during cold February week: https://blackmon.substack.com/p/saturdays-energy-absurdity-meredith/comments
  240. Canary Media Electrify Everything, Feb. 6, 2023: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/home-of-the-future-climate-friendly-electrified-and-closer-than-ever?utm_campaign=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=244754760&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–6rlMJjZBNphFujAKeUSOclhM7MDo3MAq3t8u3MAn-Hv5pscN1RZ8R1qq_RNf10dSqng0r9Wbyq214_bxo0U_i_LgE4Bn5CS-Zttgn5ClFXBvgoBU&utm_source=newsletter
  241. Judith Curry Blog, 2016, “Balancing the Grid” : https://judithcurry.com/2016/09/12/balance-and-the-grid/
  242. American Coalition of Clean Coal Energy, 2016 Report on Economics: http://www.americaspower.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Family-Energy-Costs-2016.pdf
  243. WUWT on Use of Academic Studies, Feb 7, 2023, Includes good links to Planning Engineer and Economic consequences of unreliable power: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/12/academics-and-the-grid-part-i-i-dont-think-that-study-means-what-you-think-it-means/
  244. 252. Power Outage Tracking web sites: 
  245. https://lnkd.in/gEyJJX-Y
  246. https://poweroutage.us/
  247. https://www.iso-ne.com/
  248. Daniel Yergin on LinkedIn, Energy Transition Confronts Reality, Feb. 14: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/energy-transition-confronts-reality-daniel-yergin/?trackingId=tuMcIZAi2b0pHD5sopvB9w%3D%3D 
  249. Energy World, Feb. 13 “EU Warns US on A Crisis Mode Overhaul of Energy Market” and Change to Green Energy: https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/power/countries-warn-eu-against-crisis-mode-overhaul-of-energy-market/97855704 
  250. Outstanding! Finland GTK Time to Wake up Slide Presentation: https://www.gtk.fi/en/research/time-to-wake-up/
  251. Heartland Institute 2015 Summary of Obama Carbon Rules: https://heartland.org/opinion/senate-exposes-epa-green-group-secret-collusion-on-carbon-rules/
  252. CNBC Interview with Liberty Energy CEO, Chris Wright: https://lnkd.in/gyeD9Jdf  
  253. NZ/UK Professor Michel Kelly & Bryan Leyland Web page:  http://www.bryanleyland.co.nz/power-industry-stuff.html
  254. Professor Michael Kelly web page:   https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2020/05/KellyDecarb-1.pdf
  255. WUWT Electricity Prices Rising Due to Wind & Solar Installations, Feb. 22, 2023:https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/02/20/wind-solar-and-household-electricity-prices/
  256. Climate Depot website for renewables production costs: https://www.climatedepot.com/2018/01/25/who-would-have-thought-nations-with-more-renewables-have-more-expensive-electricity/
  257. Daily Skeptic, Feb. 23, 2023, by 30 year Reuter’s veteran Journalist “I Thought CO2 Was Causing Global Warming, I was Wrong”: https://dailysceptic.org/2023/02/23/when-i-covered-climate-change-for-reuters-i-thought-co2-was-to-blame-for-rising-temperatures-i-was-wrong/
  258. Europe’s Industry Crippled by high Energy Costs NYT, Sept. 2022: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/business/europe-energy-crisis-factories.html
  259. Is Green Energy China’s Trojan Horse? Western Standard by Joseph FOURNIER, OCT. 2022: https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/is-green-energy-the-chinese-communist-partys-trojan-horse/article_6bbc2b04-50a5-11ed-bdc4-9b18b8d01f80.html
  260. China to build 106 GW of new coal plants March 2023: https://chinadialogue.net/en/energy/two-sessions-chinese-provinces-push-coal-and-clean-energy/
  261. WUWT Post, ”Gas Generated Electricity is less expensive than Wind”: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/03/gas-power-is-cheaper-than-wind-despite-carbon-briefs-claims/
  262. Dr. Judith curry, Climate Uncertainty review by WUWT: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/03/judith-curry-part-1-presentation-about-her-new-book-tom-nelson-podcast-77/
  263. WSJ LNG Paths from Texas to France: https://www.wsj.com/articles/american-fracked-gas-ukraine-invasion-europe-import-9e5cc725?mod=hp_lead_pos7
  264. Alex Epstein, Talking Points on the Importance of Energy for Human Flourishing: https://alexepstein.substack.com/p/some-of-my-favorite-talking-points?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  265. WUWT Energy and Military Strength, March 3, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/03/russias-biggest-weapon-and-chinas-too-is-fossil-fuel-energy/
  266. Feasibility of Achieving Net-Zero Carbon by 2050, by Professor Michael Kelly: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/04/feasibility-for-achieving-a-net-zero-economy-for-the-u-s-by-2050/
  267. Wind Power Report by IRENA : https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Technology/Wind-energy
  268. Judith Curry Website on Cost of wind electricity: https://judithcurry.com/2015/05/12/true-costs-of-wind-electricity/fwind power, 2015: https://judithcurry.com/2015/05/12/true-costs-of-wind-electricity/
  269. The Conversation on Why are Household Electricity Prices Going Up If Wind is so Cheap?: https://theconversation.com/renewables-are-cheaper-than-ever-so-why-are-household-energy-bills-only-going-up-174795
  270. Why are Boston Energy Costs High, Feb. 2023: https://www.bostonsolar.us/solar-blog-resource-center/blog/why-are-energy-costs-so-high-this-winter/
  271. Electricity Prices U.S. by EIA, Feb. 2023: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/tables/pdf/7ctab.pdf
  272. CFACT, Ron Stein excellent essay on the importance of Energy, March 2023:  https://www.cfact.org/2023/03/08/american-suppression-of-fossil-fuels-courts-a-national-security-disaster/
  273. Climate Policies will Cost Germany 960 + Billion and still will not make much difference…..:https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/08/claim-climate-change-will-cost-germany-960-billion-by-2050/
  274. WSJ Coal Provides the Fuel Needed for Germany to Keep the Lights on in 2022: https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-coal-energy-electricity-renewables-4700b442?mod=opinion_lead_pos2
  275. Visual Capitalist Coal in Asia, March 2023: https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/asias-biggest-sources-of-electricity-by-country/
  276. Daily Caller. Biden’s EPA Rule to Kill Off Coal Plants, March 8, 2023: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/08/biden-epa-new-regs/&source=gmail&ust=1678615516765000&usg=AOvVaw0di3ndkkR73iVUOKpvIzfh
  277. World Nuclear News, France to Build more Nuclear Plants: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/French-Senate-adopts-bill-on-accelerating-nuclear
  278. WUWT, “Claims Net Zero Will be Easy are Completely Insane”, Czech Scientist Thoughts on Net-Zero Carbon: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/11/07/czech-physicist-claims-net-zero-would-be-cheap-and-easy-are-completely-insane/
  279. Anthony Watts on the Polar Vortex Weather Pattern: https://climaterealism.com/2024/01/false-axios-climate-change-isnt-altering-the-polar-vortex/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Heartland+Weekly%3A+Heartland+Friend+Willie+Soon+KILLS+IT+on+Tucker+Carlson+s+New+Show+on+Elon+Musk+s+X+Platform&utm_campaign=HW+%2801-12-23%29
  280. CO2 Coalition home page: https://co2coalition.org
  281. Dr. Richard Lindzen on Temperature of the Earth: https://climateactiontracker.org
  282. Clintel Declaration (European Scientists): https://clintel.org/world-climate-declaration/
  283. WUWT Timeline of Failed Climate Doomsday Predictions: https://wattsupwiththat.com/failed-prediction-timeline/
  284. Roy Spencer Web site: https://www.drroyspencer.com
  285. Heartland Institute: http://climatechangereconsidered.org
  286. Real Clear Wire, “Here’s the Climate Dissent You’re Not Hearing About Because it is Muffled by Society’s Top Institutions” :  https://realclearwire.com/articles/2023/09/13/heres_the_climate_dissent_youre_not_hearing_about_because_its_muffled_by_societys_top_institutions_978511.html?utm_medium=email&utm_content=iJgazUr_XAtMm8bXcO-NbIzld7XNG9xSjxbQsPeA5uyvxxlevtyy6INEIV4bUTjx
  287. Professor Richard Lindzen, MIT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lindzen#Views_on_climate_change
  288. Prof. Lindzen article in Tablet Magazine on China and his views on AGW: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/china-warming-richard-lindzen
  289. Professor Judith Curry Interview January 30, 2021 on AGW: https://judithcurry.com/2021/01/30/interview-climate-change-a-different-perspective-with-judith-curry/
  290. Professor Willliams Happer and Professor Richard Lindzen Testimony to SEC June 2022: https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-10-22/s71022-20132171-302668.pdf
  291. The Right Stuff Climate Team (Retired NASA Engineers): https://www.therightclimatestuff.com
  292. Climate Science Book by Vinos with forward by Judith Curry:  https://judithcurry.com/2022/09/22/the-winter-gatekeeper-hypothesis-vii-a-summary-plus-qa/
  293. Climate, Past, Present and Future: https://judithcurry.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Vinos-CPPF2022.pdf
  294.  Australian Scientific Paper: World Atmospheric CO2, Its 14C Specific Activity, Non-fossil Component, Anthropogenic Fossil Component, and Emissions (1750–2018) https://journals.lww.com/health-physics/fulltext/2022/02000/world_atmospheric_co2,_its_14c_specific_activity,.2.aspx
  295. GWPF Sept 22, 2022, Richard Lindzen Paper: https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2022/09/Lindzen-global-warming-narrative.pdf
  296. Dr. Timothy Ball Paper on the Deliberate Corruption of Science, 2014: https://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/EPAC/BOOK%20REVIEW%20-%20‘THE%20DELIBERATE%20CORRUPTION%20OF%20CLIMATE%20SCIENCE%20by%20TIM%20BALL.pdf
  297. Tim Ball, CO2 is not a pollutant 2018: https://www.technocracy.news/tim-ball-the-evidence-proves-that-co2-is-not-a-greenhouse-gas/
  298. Dr. Judith Curry post on how Disinformation Industrial Complex is harming Trust in Science, June 2023: https://judithcurry.com/2023/04/23/how-the-disinformation-industrial-complex-is-destroying-trust-in-science/https://judithcurry.com/2023/04/23/how-the-disinformation-industrial-complex-is-destroying-trust-in-science/
  299. Vaclav Smil book: “The Way the World Really Works”
  300. Dr. Steve Koonin book: “Unsettled”
  301. Science based web site on Climate Science: https://climate4you.com
  302. Heartland Institute Climate Conference, Feb. 2023: https://heartland.org/events/15th-international-conference-on-climate-change/ 
  303. Professor Willliams Happer and Professor Richard Lindzen Testimony to SEC June 2022: https://www.sec.gov/comments/s7-10-22/s71022-20132171-302668.pdf
  304. The Right Stuff Climate Team (Retired NASA Engineers): https://www.therightclimatestuff.com
  305. Australian Scientific Paper: World Atmospheric CO2, Its 14C Specific Activity, Non-fossil Component, Anthropogenic Fossil Component, and Emissions (1750–2018: https://journals.lww.com/health-physics/fulltext/2022/02000/world_atmospheric_co2,_its_14c_specific_activity,.2.aspx
  306. The Right Stuff Climate Stuff, Tom Moser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-gHWcrCK7w 
  307. Dr. Judith Curry Review of CLINTEL report analyzing IPCC-AR6: https://judithcurry.com/2023/05/13/clintels-critical-evaluation-of-the-ipcc-ar6/ 
  308. CLINTEL website: https://clintel.org
  309. Dr. Patrick Moore discusses Manufactured Climate Alarmism, May 2023, Newsmax: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/04/30/patrick-moore-discusses-climate-change-manufaDr. Pat&t=jx86j0I-tJuKCNreXz1BDA
  310. Donn Dears book, “Have No Fear”
  311. Fred Singer and Dennis T. Avery book, “UnstoppableGlobal Warming” published 2007
  312. Book, “Hot Talk, Cold Science” 3rd edition, 2021, By Singer, Legates and Lupo
  313. CO2 Coalition has an extensive web site with more science based Climate and Atmospheric Science information: https://co2coalition.org
  314. Physicist Wallace Manheimer on CO2, “There is no Climate Crisis” , January 2023: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/view/0/47745  Abstract here: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jsd/article/view/0/47745
  315. Dr. Steve Koonin, Is There Really a Climate Emergency? https://www.prageru.com/video/is-there-really-a-climate-emergency?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_5331670
  316. WUWT Global Surface Temperature Record Updated 1880-2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/uah-version-6/ 
  317. “Why Climate Change is Not an Emergency”, CO2 Coalition Presentations, May 27, 2023: https://co2coalition.org/media/why-climate-change-is-not-an-emergency/
  318. WUWT Home page for access to numerous articles: https://wattsupwiththat.com
  319. Manhattan Contrarian, Francis Menton article on the Michael Mann “Hockey Stick” graph, Civil lawsuit, Mark Steyn and IPCC: https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2024-1-27-some-notes-on-the-trial-of-mann-v-steyn
  320. . Donn Dears book, “Clean Energy Crisis” 2022: 
  321. Donn Dears book, “Net Zero Carbon, The Policy Destroying America” 2021:
  322. Australian Government website on CO2 Emissions: https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/Climate-change-QA/Sources-of-CO2
  323. Aspen Institute on Decarbonization and CCUS Challenges: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/energy-transition-decarbonization-challenges-in-the-united-states-globally/
  324. DW Germany Challenges of Wind Power: https://www.dw.com/en/can-germany-meet-its-ambitious-wind-energy-targets/a-68165099
  325. EcoWatch on 22 million acres of public land proposed for solar panels: https://www.ecowatch.com/solar-energy-development-public-lands-blm.html
  326. Natural CO2 emissions by Volcanoes, Science based: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41901-y
  327. Visual Capitalist of World’s Largest CO2 emissions, Human Created: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/all-the-worlds-carbon-emissions-in-one-chart/
  328. USGS CO2 Emissions from Volcanoes: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanoes-can-affect-climate
  329. NASA report on Natural and Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions: https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/340/graphic-volcanoes-and-climate-change/
  330. EU Integrated Carbon Observation System   : https://vimeo.com/showcase/10494358
  331. European Wind and Solar costs article, Jan. 2024: https://www.eurasiareview.com/17012024-the-energy-trilemma-and-the-cost-of-electricity-oped/ Eurasia Review, by Lars Schernikau.
  332. Costs of avoided carbon emission from thermal and renewable sources of power in India and policy implications, Costs of Carbon Emissions, based on India’s Path Forward, 2020: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360544220306290
  333. World Bank on Poverty in the World, Oct. 2023: https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/poverty-back-pre-covid-levels-globally-not-low-income-countries
  334. You Tube Video, “Juice” Part #1, Texas 2021 Blackout and concerns for the Grid: https://juicetheseries.com
  335. Five Great Videos about the Grid, Feb. 2024: https://open.substack.com/pub/blackmon/p/meredith-angwin-5-great-videos-about?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  336. Coal Power Magazine, Feb. 2024, Global Domination—China Accounts for Nearly All New Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction: https://ai.omeclk.com/portal/public/ViewCommInBrowser.jsp?Sv4%2BeOSSucxygVSOywKv8nAG5QCl%2FwKvrLOxD%2B3crP%2BwqQnCE5PLdR2oG5I67h%2BRWcxWT2vRbz7gURyR4mPzhQ%3D%3DA
  337. Lee Raymond video, “Facing the Hard Truths of Energy” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRH97e-nlM
  338. Dick Storm Presentation to Columbus Energy Forum, Columbus, Ohio August 2022: : https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_presentation-and-speakers-notes-from-august-activity-7068650158862827520-B-_W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7056884647858765824?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7056884647858765824%29  
  339. Dick Storm Blog post, Feb. 5, 2024, Hard Truths on Energy and Electricity Generation, Part 2: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/06/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-2-some-facts-on-the-reality-of-replacing-conventional-forms-of-energy/
  340. Dick Storm Panel comments at Powergen International-2024: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_i-had-the-honor-of-being-on-a-powergen-panel-activity-7156046708139782144-zPoZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  341. “The Creature from Jekyll Island” by G. Edward Griffin, 5th Edition, published by American Media, Westlake Village, CA Library of Congress No. : 95-80322
  342. “Liberty on Life Support” by Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh ISBN: 147748308X
  343. “AGENDA 21”, BY AMERICAN POLICY CENTER, 2016
  344. “The Deliberate Corruption of Climate Science”, by Dr. Tim Ball, 2014 published by Stairway Press
  345. WSJ article on NGO’s influence of Biden LNG Export policy action, Feb. 2024: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/climate-environment/how-the-rockefellers-and-billionaire-donors-pressured-biden-on-lng-exports-c1bf0ff8?mod=us-news_feat1_climate-environment_pos2
  346. PA Pundits on Federal Regulations, Feb. 2024: https://papundits.wordpress.com/2024/02/13/congress-and-the-courts-enable-climate-and-energy-fantasies-and-government-expansion/
  347. CO2 Learning Center slides and information on true science of the climate and human induced warming, Feb. 2023: https://co2coalition.org/media_category/presentations/
  348. By now almost everyone has seen or heard about Tucker Carlson’s interview with Putin. Here is a link that is less well spread where Tucker discusses his impressions of Moscow while he was in Russia for the Putin interview. I found his descriptions of walking about in Moscow to be sobering. A friend sent me the YouTube link of Tucker Carlson in Dubai discussing his impressions of Moscow after his interview with Putin. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2xa7hHMUho   Let me suggest that you skip to minute #32. My concerns for America are: We have put anti-American Climate policies as top priority which will increase the decline of the U.S. relative to other countries of the world, especially China. The words of Tucker on discussing the comparisons of Moscow to cities in the U.S. is sobering. The term MAGA has been demonized. A reminder of what MAGA is an acronym for: Make America Great Again. What is so wrong with that? Three more points. Gatestone Institute on it is not only Boeing jets that have declined in quality, https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20394/boeing-leadership-crisis , the condition of and quality of service of my home town Post Office. Then there is our local Public Schools where about one third of the students are performing below Grade level in reading and math. And our government has Climate policies as #1 Priority. God help us, even if we do not deserve it
  349. Thomas Shepstone Blog on the influence of Big Banks on Climate Policy, Feb. 18, 2024: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGxRnZDWKMHXBZKXjsGPzFfFSGZ
  350. Solar panel manufacturing are much more power intensive than advertised:  https://public.substack.com/p/solar-panels-more-carbon-intensive
  351. Our World in Data, World Energy Sources by Fuel: https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption  
  352. Jo Nova blog post on ESG and large Banks, Feb. 16, 2024: https://joannenova.com.au/2024/02/esg-comes-undone-blackrock-jp-morgan-abandon-climate-action-100/
  353. Bloomberg on Blackrock 10 Trillion in investments: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-12/blackrock-total-assets-top-10-trillion-after-comeback-quarter
  354. Climate Science and the “Unstoppable Momentum of Outdated Science” by Roger Pielke and Stephen Heins: https://stephenheins.substack.com/p/the-unstoppable-momentum-of-outdated
  355. The UN-Agenda 2030, “A Totalitarian Trojan Horse” by Daniel Lacalle, Feb. 18, 2024: https://www.dlacalle.com/en/the-2030-agenda-the-totalitarian-trojan-horse/
  356. Tax Exempt NGO’s and wealthy elites are destroying democracy, especially through activism on energy and climate policies, Thomas Shepstone article, Feb. 20, 2024: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/how-our-democracy-is-being-destroyed?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  357. Capital Research Center on Charities Funding Lawfare to Influence Climate Policies, Fe. 8, 2024: https://capitalresearch.org/article/why-are-charities-funneling-millions-into-climate-change-lawfare/?blm_aid=59207
  358. Billionaire Climate Policy extremist influences Biden to Kill U.S. LNG Exports while investing in China. How Patriotic this is, Washington Examiner, Feb. 22, 2024, How a billionaire Democrat fueled the Biden anti-LNG pressure campaign while placing lucrative bets in China: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/2865494/how-billionaire-democrat-fueled-biden-anti-lng-pressure-campaign-china/
  359. Crude Oil is the Feedstock for over 6,000 products by Ron Stein and posted by Stephen Heins on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/stephenheins/p/the-elephant-in-the-room-that-no?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  360. New book connecting foreign influence with U.S. elected officials by Peter Schweizer, “Blood Money” available Feb. 27, 2024: http://peterschweizer.com/blood-money-debuts-feb-27-2024/
  361. Electrons Have Consequences, by Pandreco, April 2024: https://pandreco.substack.com/p/undermining-electrons-have-consequences
Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy and Electricity Fundamentals, Fossil Fuels are Important, Geopolitics, Keeping America Great, Nuclear Power Generation, Regulations

Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 3: The Transition that Isn’t, from the Perspective of Minerals

Leave a comment

The Finland GTK organization has provided comprehensive and well researched information on the challenges of providing adequate minerals for the future. I recommend referring to their excellent work. (1) Also, the National Mining Association has excellent information on their web page. (2) The current slogan for the NMA is, “Minerals Make Life”. I would add, minerals, lots of minerals are also needed for the transition to more renewable power generation. Even then, as a friend pointed out to me, the exotic minerals do not produce electricity until they are incorporated into final products such as solar panels or wind turbines. Electricity produced from renewables cannot make the products needed by society. See Ron Stein’s explanation for more on the importance of crude oil. (8, 9)

Mining and Power

My background and expertise is in electric power generation, not mining. So, why am I writing this if I am not a mining expert? The reason is, although my experiences are in combustion and power, over the last 60 years or so I traveled the world with involvement in power plants and ore processing facilities that provided electricity and combustion systems required for the mining of aluminum, copper, coal and steel. The fact is that both internal combustion engine powered vehicles and EV’s, all require lots of copper, steel and aluminum. As technologies advance for more reduced carbon power generation and use, so will the requirements for Rare Earth minerals, Uranium as well as the more common metals. Aluminum requires the most electricity for smelting of all common metals, about 5 kWh per pound. Copper mining requires a fair amount of electricity as well. For example, I once worked at the Freeport-McMoran copper mine in Irian Jaya (now called West Papua) and it had 180 MW of conventional generation just to run the ore processing equipment. A good read is the Forbes Wilson book, “Conquest of Copper Mountain” which is better than fiction on the story of how one of the largest copper mines in the world came to be. (7)  Let’s get back to minerals and metals.

Time to Wake Up!

This is the title of the GTK report and I have taken the liberty of using some of the illustrations from GTK. The first slide in the GTK presentation shows the relationship of metal/minerals required by 2050 compared to the current world use of coal, oil and gas. My previous articles have elaborated on the need to supply the U.S. alone with 100 Quadrillion BTUs of energy. Mr. Michaux provides the graphic below as another approach to communicating the need of minerals.

From GTK Time to Wake Up: https://www.gtk.fi/en/research/time-to-wake-up/

The metals and minerals needed for batteries alone is enormous. GTK shows the relationship of minerals used now and minerals needed as more power generation is produced from renewables and more electricity is used for transportation.

Energy is required to produce these metals. Lots of energy, both primary energy such as Diesel fuel as well as electricity which is secondary energy. For example, take a look at the 400 ton mine haul truck below. This modern and efficient truck uses a 4,000 hp Diesel engine for propulsion. Keep in mind that ore deposits are mostly dirt with a little bit of metal. Typical rich copper deposits are about 1 -2% copper. So, it takes about 50-100 tons of ore to produce one ton of copper. Plus, lots of energy for processing. I also worked at a gold mine in Nevada and there the gold content of the ore was 0.2 ounce per ton of dirt and rock. So, it takes huge haul trucks to move a lot of dirt and rock for these small percentages of metal.

Conclusions

The path to Net-Zero Carbon is not possible by 2050 for many reasons. The one limitation highlighted in this article is the need for enormous quantities of new metals and critical minerals. Also, huge amounts of energy to power the mining, processing and manufacturing. The U.S. government regulations are biased against mining as well as against conventional energy use. Our government seems to hate to use our natural resources. Another slogan used by the NMA that I saw bumper stickers at a Trona mine was “If it isn’t Grown, it is Mined”. See the Competitive Enterprise Institute list of 10,000 Commandments. (6) I invite the reader to visit the web sites of GTK and the National Mining Association. They are experts in minerals and metals and offer outstanding information on their web sites.

What about Nuclear Power?

Nuclear power generation provides the greatest amount of carbon free electricity. Nuclear is the most likely solution for reduced carbon electricity expansion.  Since the 1990s, despite ample domestic reserves, the U.S. has increasingly relied on imported uranium for use in nuclear power plants. Our near complete import reliance for uranium is concerning, including 60 percent of our uranium imports coming from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The U.S. is currently heavily reliant on China for advanced rare earth materials needed for EVs, wind energy, and other advanced technologies, including those needed for national defense. This need not be the case, whether for uranium, rare earths or other energy materials. The NMA has further information on uranium, rare earth minerals and mining. (2, 4)

Yours truly,

Dick Storm, Feb. 7, 2024

References

  1. GTK Finland- “Time to Wake Up”: https://www.gtk.fi/en/research/time-to-wake-up/
  2. National Mining Association: https://nma.org
  3. Caterpillar 797F Haul Truck specifications: https://www.lectura-specs.com/en/model/construction-machinery/rigid-dump-trucks-caterpillar/797f-11691916
  4. Uranium sources for U.S. nuclear power generation, NMA: https://nma.org/2023/08/22/domestically-produced-uranium-2/
  5. EIA Where our Uranium comes from: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/where-our-uranium-comes-from.php
  6. Competitive Enterprise Institute, Government Regulations Review, 10,000 Commandments: https://cei.org/studies/ten-thousand-commandments-2023/#:~:text=Ten%20Thousand%20Commandments%20is%20the,the%20U.S.%20economy%20at%20large.
  7. A great read not only fascinating but also better than fiction! The story of the development of a copper mine in Irian Jaya, Indonesia: “The Conquest of Copper Mountain” by Forbes Wilson, 1981
  8. Ron Stein’s Energy Library, “Breezes and Sunshine Cannot Manufacture Anything, Electricity Cannot Exist Without Oil”: https://www.americaoutloud.news/todays-materialistic-world-cannot-survive-without-crude-oil/
  9. Ron Stein, “Breezes & Sunshine Cannot Manufacture Anything, Electricity Cannot Exist Without Crude Oil” : https://www.americaoutloud.news/breezes-and-sunshine-cannot-manufacture-anything-electricity-cannot-exist-without-crude-oil/
  10. Gatestone Institute on Leadership, “Boeing’s Missing Bolts”, Leadership at the top affects more than aircraft manufacturing Quality Assurance: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20394/boeing-leadership-crisis
  11. US Manufacturing “Boom” Misinformation, Daily Signal, Aug. 17, 2023: https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/08/17/bidens-manufacturing-boom-is-manufactured-malarkey/
  12.   How Washington Strangled American Manufacturing, EPOCH Times, Feb. 12, 2024, Federal Regulations undermine efforts to restore and expand American manufacturing : https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/how-washington-regulation-strangled-american-manufacturing-5585825?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport
  13. Daily Signal page with numerous Commentary articles on Gov’t &  Federal Regulations,  : https://www.dailysignal.com/tag/government
  14. Daily Signal with more Commentary on Federal Regulations: https://www.dailysignal.com/tag/regulations
  15. 22 Million Acres of Western land to be used for solar power, according to BLM, Such a waste of beautiful lands: https://www.hcn.org/articles/solar-energy-biden-plan-will-earmark-millions-of-acres-of-public-land-for-solar-development/
Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Education, Energy, Politics and Economic Prosperity, Fossil Fuels are Important, Nuclear, Nuclear Power Generation, Regulations

Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 2: Some Facts on the Reality of Replacing Conventional Forms of Energy

Leave a comment

I was recently invited to a local civic club and my host asked that I focus on the limitations of minerals and difficulty of replacing conventional fuels with wind and solar. Here are some of the slides and my explanation which I used to attempt to drive the point home: The U.S. does not have an orderly and rational energy transition plan only a “War on Carbon”. In my opinion, conventional energy will be needed far beyond 2050 if we are to continue our high quality of life and freedom of travel.

Here are some of the challenges and impracticality of replacing fossil fuels with carbon free energy. Let’s start with food and agriculture. About 1% of the total primary energy used in the world is consumed for producing fertilizer. Ammonia fertilizer is incredibly important to food production. Vaclav Smil has researched and written that if production of synthetic ammonia fertilizer was stopped, then about 50% of the world’s population could not be fed.

The figure above shows a modern farm tractor powered by Diesel fuel. The table below shows the sources of 94% of our primary energy used during the year 2022. Wind and solar provided less than 6% of our Primary Energy.

The bottom line on primary energy is simply this.   

Over 90% of our primary energy is provided by conventional sources and that if reduced carbon emissions are really to be achieved, there needs to be a rational path forward. Not the irrational and unthoughtful path of demonizing and attempting to ban fossil fuels. Let’s move on to see why Net-Zero Carbon is impossible to achieve by 2050 using the current policies from Washington. That is, impossible if we are still to keep our freedom and our high quality of life.

Just as a reminder: Electricity is Secondary energy. It takes Primary energy to generate electricity. Forms of primary energy are nuclear, natural gas, coal, biomass, hydro plants, wind, geothermal and solar. (1, 26 & 27)

What Would it Take to Achieve Net-Zero Carbon by 2050?

My friend Donn Dears wrote numerous books on the destructive war on carbon. In fact, he was the inspiration for me to start this blog. Unfortunately, Donn recently passed away, but he left a legacy of books on energy education for us to refer. His last book published in 2023 is “Clean Energy Crisis”. In this book, Mr. Dears lays out the facts of what it would take to replace conventional fossil fuel energy. In chapter 8, here is his basic analysis:

It should be pointed out that the above refers to replacement of Primary energy from fossil fuels for electricity generation to be replaced by carbon free sources. Reminder: Bulk Power electricity requires about 37% of Primary energy. The other 63% of primary energy is used for motor vehicle use, shipping, Industrial production, jet fuel, heating of homes, commercial buildings, cooking, food production and agriculture.

The Reality of the transition to renewables, according to Mr. Dears is summarized in two statements:

  1. It is impossible for the United States to achieve Net-Zero carbon by 2050.
  2. CO2 is not an existential threat to mankind.

These two statements are direct quotations from chapter #8 of “Clean Energy Crisis” by Donn Dears.

Conclusions

Here are some of the Reasons why I also believe achieving Net-Zero Carbon is Impossible by 2050:

  1. There are limited mining and production facilities to produce the Metals to Build Batteries and EV’s
  2. Wind whether offshore or on Land Requires Enormous Acreage (22)
  3. Wind & Solar Provide Intermittent & Non Dispatchable Generation
  4. Battery Electricity Storage Technology is Not yet Commercially Available for Long Term Storage of Bulk Power
  5. U.S. Regulations on Mining & Manufacturing are Too Restrictive
  6. U.S. Heavy Manufacturing Cannot Ramp Up in Time. The American manufacturing facilities for nuclear power plant components has been lost and needs to be rebuilt. This will take decades.
  7. China controls much of the critical minerals, materials and manufacturing
  8. The required number of new nuclear power plants cannot be designed, manufactured and constructed by 2050
  9.  Hopefully, the American People Will become informed and vote for energy wise leadership that will implement practical and science based energy and climate policies

The current path to Net Zero Carbon is a fictional delusion driven by the largest scientific hoax in history.

Respectfully submitted and yours very truly,

Dick Storm, February 3, 2024

References

  1. EIA Primary energy data for year 2022: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/#:~:text=In%202022%2C%20total%20U.S.%20primary,equal%20to%20100.41%20quadrillion%20Btu. 
  2. Vaclav Smil in World Agriculture magazine: https://www.vaclavsmil.com/wp-content/uploads/docs/smil-article-worldagriculture.pdf
  3. McKinsey Report on Inflation Reduction Act Funding: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/the-inflation-reduction-act-heres-whats-in-it
  4. LinkedIn post by Dick Storm of his comments on panel at PowerGen International, Jan. 24, 2024: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_i-had-the-honor-of-being-on-a-powergen-panel-activity-7156046708139782144-zPoZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  5. The Energy Trilemma and the Cost of Electricity, by Dr. Lars Shernikau., Eurasia Review: https://www.eurasiareview.com/17012024-the-energy-trilemma-and-the-cost-of-electricity-oped/  
  6. Chapter 8, pg 58. “Clean Energy Crisis” by Donn Dears, 2023
  7. “How the World Really Works” by Vaclav Smil
  8. GTK “Time to Wake Up” report and presentation on critical minerals of the world, Finland-GTK Minerals Needed for Net-Zero Carbon: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/42_2021.pdf  
  9. GTK Slides, “Time to Wake Up”: https://www.gtk.fi/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GTK-time-to-wake-up-presentation-slides.pdf
  10. Dick Storm presentation, “Demystifying Energy and Electricity Generation” to Sunset Rotary Club, Nov. 14, 2022.
  11. Dick Storm presentation to Sunset Rotary, Feb. 27, 2023, “The Importance of Energy”
  12.  WTO Report on critical minerals: https://www.wto.org/english/blogs_e/data_blog_e/blog_dta_10jan24_e.htm
  13.  National Mining Association website which has much information on the critical minerals needed by America: https://nma.org
  14. Tennessee Bans UN Agenda 30 and Agenda 21, New American, Jan. 11, 2024: https://thenewamerican.com/us/politics/tennessee-bans-agenda-2030-other-globalist-un-schemes/
  15. IEA World Energy statistics: https://www.iea.org/reports/coal-information-overview/consumption
  16. Statista
  17. Our World in Data
  18. Visual Capitalist
  19.  Dick Storm presentation to Columbus, Ohio Energy Forum, “There is NO Energy Policy, Only a Decarbonization Policy” ENERUM: Dick Storm Presentation, August 2022: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_presentation-and-speakers-notes-from-august-activity-7068650158862827520-B-_W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  20. Donn Dears book, “Clean Energy Crisis” available on Amazon
  21.  David Blackmon on the proposed 22 million acre solar farm proposed for the western U.S. : https://open.substack.com/pub/blackmon/p/mondays-energy-absurdity-bidens-22?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  22. Gov’t proposal for 22 million acres of western land for solar panels. EcoWatch, January 2024: https://www.ecowatch.com/solar-energy-development-public-lands-blm.html
  23. WUWT 2023 Summary of Good articles on true Climate Science, Jan. 6, 2024: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/01/10/weekly-climate-and-energy-news-roundup-582/
  24. CO2 Coalition home page: https://co2coalition.org
  25. Clintel Declaration (European Scientists): https://clintel.org/world-climate-declaration/
  26. Finland-GTK Minerals Needed for Net-Zero Carbon: https://tupa.gtk.fi/raportti/arkisto/42_2021.pdf
  27. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Primary Energy Flow Charts: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov
Basic Energy Knowledge, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Education, Nuclear

Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 1: 79 Quadrillion Btus:The Enormity of the Fossil Energy Systems Providing Sustainable Lives

5 Comments

Conventional energy is vitally important for all that we do. Missing from news reports to the general public is an honest communication to try to explain the huge and enormous energy systems that we depend on each day and the impossibility of replacing conventional energy with wind and solar. To start 2024, I thought I would post a series on the Hard Truths of Energy. I borrowed the title from the 2007 National Petroleum Council report, led by Chairman, Lee Raymond, retired CEO of ExxonMobil. Petroleum, natural gas and coal were important in 2007 and they remain important today. The “Energy Density” of fossil fuels makes them indispensable to sustain our economy and our high quality of life.(4)

Fossil Fuels Provide 79% of U.S. Primary Energy

79 Quadrillion BTUs is the amount of energy we depend on from fossil fuels. This is my attempt to try to explain and illustrate what 79 Quadrillion BTUs of energy looks like. The number 79 Quadrillion is from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for energy use in 2022.(2) Below is a short summary of the amount of natural gas, petroleum and coal that we used in the U.S.A. in 2022.

How Huge is a Quadrillion?

I have discussed the steady U.S. energy demand of 100 Quadrillion BTUs per annum for decades and yes, 100 Quadrillion BTUs is the amount of energy we use each year and it has been steady for over 20 years.(6) Until now, I did not take the time to explain the enormity of a Quadrillion BTUs. Here is what one Quadrillion BTUs of energy is equivalent to:

Coal= About 50 million tons of coal. This would be a coal pile that would be one mile wide, ten feet high and 3.3 miles long.

Oil= 7.14 Billion gallons. See Lee Raymond quote below on the quantity of motor fuels used in the U.S. in a year

Natural Gas= 1 Trillion cubic feet. This is equivalent to 200 aircraft carrier sized LNG Tankers. More on the enormity of an LNG ship below.

It is a fact, in America, we use and need about 100 Quadrillion BTUs of energy each year.

36 Quadrillion BTUs of Petroleum

The single largest form of energy that we depend on is petroleum. About 20 million barrels per day. To visualize what 20 million barrels per day would look like, take a look at the photo of me and the 48″ Alyeska pipeline in Alaska. At its peak flow, about 2 million barrels per day flowed through the Alaska pipeline. So, to visualize 20 million barrels per day, picture in your mind, ten of these 48″ pipelines installed side by side.

The Alaska pipeline. Capacity about 2 million barrels per day. This is to help visualize what 20 million barrels per day would look like. Picture ten of these side by side. This is the enormity of the petroleum needed to supply America
Photo credit, Dick Storm circa 2007

Another illustration was offered by Lee Raymond, retired CEO of ExxonMobil when introducing the National Petroleum Council report “Facing the Hard Truths of Energy” in 2007. This explanation is offered by Mr. Raymond on You Tube, here. Mr. Raymond explained that the amount of motor fuels used in 2006 was about 150 Billion gallons. He then went on to state that if each gallon was placed in a one gallon tin can as he used in his youth to fill his lawnmower, the length of 10″ high cans, if placed end to end would circle the earth 1,000 times. That is the enormity of 150 Billion gallons of motor fuel. Mr. Raymond stated, (among other important points), “To replace current energy systems it will take a an enormous effort and a long period of Time.”(5)

The gasoline and Diesel motor fuels used in the U.S. has increased from the 150 Billion gallons consumed in 2007, to about 209 Billion gallons in 2022.

33 Quadrillion BTUs of Natural Gas

America used 33.4 Quadrillion BTUs of natural gas during 2022. Most of the natural gas used by the U.S. is distributed by a vast network of unseen, underground pipelines. Therefore, hard to visualize. So, let’s imagine that if we were to use all of our natural gas from shipments of LNG, (Liquified Natural Gas) how many huge LNG Super Tankers would it take? Such as the vessel Pan American shown below:

Pan American Specs: https://www.balticshipping.com/vessel/imo/9750232

This LNG tanker holds 174,000 cubic feet of liquified natural gas. LNG is 1/600th the volume of the gaseous state. The ship is over 977 feet long and the gross tonnage is 114,966. This is a ship about the size of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. The energy equivalent of the cargo is about 6 trillion BTUs.

Now, imagine 6,600 ships like the Pan American above all lined up along the east coast. If the ships were placed touching, end to end, this would be about 1,220 miles of ships from New York City to south of Miami, Florida. That is the number of aircraft carrier sized LNG tankers that it would take to provide 33 Quadrillion BTUs of natural gas fuel. The 33 Quadrillion number is from 2022, the actual demand. The future will likely require more than 33.4 Quadrillion BTUs.

10 Quadrillion BTUs of Coal Power

Coal power has been important to the U.S. since the days of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. The American electric system, referred to as the “Grid” was built on the foundation of reliable, affordable, domestically supplied and environmentally clean steam power generation fueled by coal. This took over 125 years to build and has been described by the Smithsonian as, “The Largest Machine Ever Built”. Video here. As recent as 2011 about 50% of America’s electricity was produced by steam turbines with steam generation from coal fuel. In 2022 the coal powered electricity generation dropped to about 20%. Much of the total electricity generation which was once powered by coal fuel, has been switched to natural gas fuel. 

As recent as 2011 America used about a billion tons of coal. In 2022 coal use declined by about 50% to about 512,000 million tons. Coal is important because of it’s enormous energy density. Another important fact, is that weeks and months of primary energy can be safely stored on site. Coal provides Dispatchable power and it is proven to be affordable. America has the largest coal reserves of any country. The U.S. is the Saudi Arabia of coal.

How much coal is 512,000 million tons? This is enough coal to fill about 5,000,000 coal cars such as the one shown below.

https://www.bnsf.com/ship-with-bnsf/ways-of-shipping/equipment/coal-cars.html

How long would a single train of 512,000,000 tons of coal be? About 50,000 miles, long enough to circle the earth two times at the equator.

Conclusions

The so-called energy transition from conventional to wind and solar is simply not possible with today’s technology. As Mr. Raymond stated in 2007, changing from our conventional energy systems to something else is an enormous effort that will take. a long time.

Net-Zero Carbon by 2050 is impossible. A previous blog post is here.

The largest energy density and provider of the greatest quantity of carbon-free energy is nuclear power. However, replacing the existing electric generation with nuclear will take decades to accomplish and massive roll back of Federal Regulations. It took about 40 years to develop, manufacture, construct and perfect the 93 operating commercial nuclear units in 54 plants. These currently provide about 20% of America’s electricity. Most of these are now over 30 years old and the last two units built by Southern Company (2,200MW capacity) took over ten years to build. A previous blog post discusses “Without New Thinking on Nuclear Power, Net Zero Carbon is Impossible”, here.

Electrifying Everything is not possible, even electrifying transportation is not practical for every vehicle and if they were, much more electricity would be required.

The so-called energy transition from conventional forms of energy to wind and solar is impossible and attempting to do so by forced laws (such as the IRA), increased Regulations and the continuing war on carbon will destroy our country.

It is my hope and prayer that after the next election some sanity to energy policy will return.

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, January 11, 2024

References

  1. LNG Shipping Newsletter, 2015 by Riviera: https://www.rivieramm.com/opinion/opinion/lng-shipping-by-numbers-36027
  2. LLNL Energy Flow Diagram: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov
  3. EIA Coal fuel used in 2022, Nov. 2023: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61022
  4. 2007 National Petroleum Council report: “Facing the Hard Truths of Energy”: https://npchardtruthsreport.org
  5. Lee Raymond video at Council of Foreign Relations meeting in 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRH97e-nlM
  6. Dick Storm Blog, “America Needs 100 Quadrillion BTUs of Primary Energy each Year” March 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/16/back-to-basics-the-u-s-needs-100-quadrillion-btus-year-of-primary-energy/
  7. The Smithsonian Magazine, “The U.S. Electric Grid, The Largest Machine Ever Built”, you tube : https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/history/the-largest-machine-ever-built/
  8. Dick Storm Blog, “What Would it Take to Achieve Net-Zero Carbon by 2050” https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/12/what-would-it-take-for-net-zero-electricity-generation-by-2050/
  9. EIA Nuclear Plants in the U.S. : https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=207&t=21
  10. Dick Storm Blog, Oct. 2021 “The War on Carbon and How it Came to Be” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
economic prosperity and energy, Geopolitics, Western Civilization

Over-Achieving Minorities of Western Civilization

3 Comments

A lot has been written on minorities and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). There is not enough written on the minorities that practice a good work ethic, work hard to invent products, create new processes and techniques and accomplish positive and good results. Therefore, I thought I would follow up my recent article on “Israel, Defender of Western Civilization” to elaborate on some of the over achievers from western civilization that have helped advance science and quality of life for all.

I usually write on energy and electricity generation. However, the evil and barbaric terrorist attacks on Israel October 7th inspired me to reflect on the positive contributions of the minority of very creative & productive people during the last 150 years.

Did you ever think about what western civilization has provided for the 8 Billion people of the world? The Judeo-Christian values of western civilization are at the root of the ever improving quality of life on our planet. The values that we appreciate have been a prerequisite for many accomplishments that have benefited all of the people of the world. That is all of the people of the world can benefit from the products and advancements mentioned below, providing that they live in a free country. There are many countries that do not have the freedom of the western world as we Americans do.

Capitalism should not be underestimated for it’s capability to fund large projects for Mining, Energy production and Manufacturing. Also to promote and share the high quality of life experienced by western civilization.

In my lifetime, my parents successfully prepared me to live the “American Dream“. The definition I like from the Mirriam Webster Dictionary:

A happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful.(12)

Lost in the News reports are the mutually beneficial advantages of individuals and corporations contributing to industrial development on a Global Scale, as a result of their creativity and hard work….. After I thought about Israel being the leading defender of western civilization, it occurred to me that it may be of interest for some readers to review Globalization and the positive contributions of western civilization to the improvements in the quality of life to billions of people around the world.

The “American Dream” was described above and I for one give thanks to God for my good health and the satisfaction of using my good work ethic during my career. However, when Israeli’s are compared to Americans with regard to work ethic, creativity, business acumen, intellectual achievements and accomplishments, we should all be humbled by what they have accomplished. Especially considering that the state of Israel is surrounded by hundreds of millions of people who (a gross under statement) do not like them very much. The illustration below shows the reality of tiny Israel’s huge neighboring countries. Israel is about the size of the state of New Jersey. The photo is from a screenshot of a flight on El-Al.

Prominent Individuals That Have Improved the Quality of Life for Humanity

These are some of my choices of the heroes the last 150 years or so. I learned more about these folks when I was preparing to present my course, “The History of Energy and Electricity Generation” course for USCB-OLLI.(15)

  1. Nickoluas Otto, Inventor of the four cycle Internal Combustion engine
  2. Karl Benz, Inventor of the first Internal Combustion engine powered automobile
  3. Rudolf Diesel, Inventor of the Compression Ignition, Diesel engine
  4. Thomas Edison The most prolific inventor of western civilization
  5. Nikola Tesla Polyphase motors and 3 phase advanced transformers
  6. George Westinghouse One of America’s best engineers and founder of Westinghouse Electric
  7. Charles Martin Hall Inventor of the electrolytic method of producing Aluminum smelting. The process for production of aluminum from the alumina powder refined from Bauxite ore
  8. Henry Ford Brought mass produced cars and high paying factory wages to citizens so they could enjoy the American Dream. Also, reasonable priced tractors for farmers to mechanize agricultural production.
  9. Willis Carrier Inventor of modern air conditioning. (Living in South Carolina, A/C is one of my favorites)
  10. Fritz Haber, Invented the “Haber-Bosch Process” for producing synthetic ammonia for agricultural use. His invention made it possible to feed about half of the people living on the planet today. Yes, according to Professor Vaclav Smil, about 4 billion people one the planet could not be fed adequate food without ammonia fertilizer.
  11. Carl Bosch, Using principles from Fritz Haber’s discovery, Bosch devised a method for separating large quantities of hydrogen from a hydrogen-carbon monoxide mixture. In 1909, under Bosch’s leadership, BASF acquired the patent rights for Fritz Haber’s ammonia process and began developing the equipment and refining the process needed for mass production. By 1913, the BASF works at Oppau, Germany began the first worldwide production of ammonia.
  12. In January 1930 Frank Whittle, submitted a patent application for a gas turbine for jet propulsion. His engine, which had a single-stage centrifugal compressor coupled to a single-stage turbine, was successfully bench tested in April 1937.
  13. Germans Hans von Ohain and Max Hahn patented a jet propulsion engine of their own in 1936. 
  14. Igor Sikorsky invented the helicopter about 1939
  15. Wernher von Braun, Leader in rocket technology and space exploration. Led NASA’s rocket propulsion development
  16. Robert Hutchings Goddard, Inventor of Solid Fuel Rockets
  17. Alexander Fleming invents Penicillin
  18. Walter H. Brattain, The Transistor, developed by Bell Laboratories in the 1940s.
  19. Hyman G. Rickover, A Polish Jew that immigrated to America in 1900 and became an Admiral in the U.S. Navy. The Father of nuclear powered ships, submarines and commercial nuclear power production.
  20. Jonas Salk Inventor of Polio vaccine
  21. Norman Borlaug, Agricultural advancement giant that led the “Green Revolution” of the 1960’s. Like Fritz Haber, he had a lot to do with advancements in the science of agriculture to create the capacity to feed many of the people of the world.
  22. Milton Friedman, A champion and leader in government administration of Economics and Capitalism. Also, improvements in public education with Charter Schools
  23. Forbes Wilson, Leader of Freeport McMoran in the 1960’s and led to the development of one of the largest copper mines in the world in Iran Jaya (West Papua) New Guinee
  24. Elon Musk Self made rocket scientist and business genius
  25. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak Apple computer (1976) Founders that created the market for personal computers that we all use today
  26. MIT Professor Richard Lindzen Atmospheric and Climate Scientist(16)

The list of inventors and innovators from western civilization is long. These 26 are some that I became aware of and came to admire during my career.

What About the Eastern Civilization?

The Axis of Evil at war with Israel and Ukraine includes Russia & Iran with the support of China. In my opinion. The United Nations also seems to be biased toward HAMAS, a terrorist organization. The support of HAMAS and anti Jewish Semitism by citizens, Universities and groups within the U.S.A. is very disappointing. Therefore, the inspiration for this article is to highlight the positive and beneficial advances for Humanity that were created by westerners. Some may not be aware of the positive contributions from the very productive minority of people living in western civilization. Israel and many of the Jewish people live in other countries of western civilization and the list above of inventors and productive citizens is about 20% Jewish people. Let’s look at the demographics of the world…..

What if the World’s People Were Compressed into a Village of 100? What would it look like?

Back in the late 1990’s someone created a one page summary of the demographics of the people of the world and presented it as a bullet list. It is copied below. This has been updated by 100 People.org (11)

If the World were 100 PEOPLE:

50 would be female
50 would be male 

25 would be children
There would be 75 adults,
9 of whom would be 65 and older

There would be:
60 Asians
16 Africans
14 people from the Americas
10 Europeans

31 Christians
23 Muslims
16 people who would not be aligned with a religion
15 Hindus
7 Buddhists
8 people who practice other religions (Note: People of the Jewish faith are so small, 0.16% that they are not even mentioned)

12 would speak Chinese
6 would speak Spanish
5 would speak English
4 would speak Hindi
3 would speak Arabic
3 would speak Bengali
3 would speak Portuguese
2 would speak Russian
2 would speak Japanese
60 would speak other languages

86 would be able to read and write; 14 would not 

7 would have a college degree
40 would have an Internet connection

78 people would have a place to shelter them
from the wind and the rain, but 22 would not 

1 would be dying of starvation
11 would be undernourished
22 would be overweight 

91 would have access to safe drinking water
9 people would have no clean, safe water to drink

Showing the world’s people on a global map is also enlightening to show graphically how the statistics from above apply in today’s world:

Thinking About The Resources of the World and How Western Civilization Has Helped All of the People of the World to Improve the Quality of Life. About 20 years ago I was asked by the Pastor of our church to provide a presentation of how Americans have helped people of the world based on my experiences of working in many countries of the world. My experiences were mostly related to mining and electric power generation. So, here below are a few slides from that presentation:

The world’s resources are spread across the planet. There is enough oil, coal, uranium, copper, cobalt, iron, nickel, bauxite, lithium, chromium, gold, rare earths and other minerals for modern society to function. The key to sharing is to apply the intellectual resources of those who have the intellectual capacity and capital (most are from western civilization) to help the Developing countries of the world to produce and share their natural resources. By combining the natural resources of Developing countries with the Industrial know how and Capital of the Developed world, people can be lifted from poverty. From Biblical principles and following the “Golden Rule” from Jesus’ teaching, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. For the mutual benefit of all…..

French design rail car dumper in west Africa which lifts bauxite ore to the top of the ore crushing and processing facility.

Dried and crushed Bauxite ore for shipment to the west for refining and smelting into alumina and aluminum.

Example of quality of life before bauxite mining and mutually beneficial trade with the west. The photo below was taken about 2003 when refugees from Senegal were immigrating to Guinee to flee a war zone. Yes, I took this photo of a family of four with two water-buffaloes and all of their belongings in one mini van. Fleeing for their lives, with some of the individuals hoping to obtain work at the bauxite mine or other industry in the neighboring country of Guinee.

Moving on to the South Pacific, copper mining began in West Papua about 1965. Thanks to Freeport McMoran’s Investment of both Intellectual expertise and investment Capital. West Papua, then called “Irian Jaya” is north of Australia.(13)

As in Suriname, Guinee (west Africa) and many other countries of the world, the mutual benefits of western civilization and the resources of the Developing world are realized for the benefit of all of humanity. The Liberty Energy ESG Report on “Bettering Human Lives” comes to mind. (14)

From the Forbes Wilson book, “Conquest of Copper Mountain”

Christian missionaries lived with the people of Irian Jaya before Freeport McMoran came to help develop the copper mine. The help of the missionary was very beneficial in smoothing relations and achieving cooperation from the native people on this remote island.

These are just a few examples of how the cooperative effects have improved the quality of life for many people of the world. Not surprisingly, many of the advancements in quality of life are related to the use of energy. In the examples of aluminum and copper production, enormous amounts of energy are required to process ore into metals. Especially aluminum which requires about 5 kWH to produce one pound of aluminum from alumina powder. This is not including the energy to process bauxite ore into alumina powder and transport it across oceans. This is just as a reminder of the relationship of energy and economic prosperity, three slides from an OLLI program I presented on the importance of energy are copied below. (15)

Western Civilization Has Been Very Good for All of the People of the World

The Judeo-Christian values, work ethic and productive capacity has improved life for all of the people of the world. Over-represented in the list of productive citizens of the world are Jewish people. The list of 26 randomly picked above are from my personal experiences. These are about 20% Jewish people. However, when Nobel prizes in medicine and science are considered, Jewish people have earned a disproportionate share considering their worldwide population of less than 0.2%

The point is, massive protests in cities have taken place supporting HAMAS and the PLO. These protests, in my opinion, are basically protests against western civilization. Yet, the major contributions to society and the accomplishments of westerners and Israel are very positive. To my knowledge, I cannot think of anything invented for good, for Humanity or for improving the quality of life by HAMAS or the PLO. These organizations are basically against western civilization and much that we stand for.

Why aren’t University Professors standing up for Western Civilization? The Main Stream Media? Entertainment? Celebrities?

Why Anti-Semitism? Is it Envy?

Charlie Munger, Vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway recently passed away after living 99 productive years. Mr. Munger has offered his advice on many topics to many and I for one, appreciate his sharing of that wisdom. One point he has made on several occasions is discussing “Greed and Envy”. Mr. Munger offered his thoughts on wealth inequality and greed in this video here. Where he suggests that many wars and divisions between people come as a result of envy. Could that be one of the roots of antisemitism? The Jewish people have, at least in my lifetime, always been very innovative, creative and intellectually gifted.

It is my hope that University leaders, Journalists in the MSM and celebrities will start reporting and influencing the public on the “Good” that western civilization has brought to the world and recognize that the people of Israel have done more than their fair share of helping improve the quality of life for all of humanity.

These are my thoughts to consider.

Very truly yours,

Dick Storm, November 29, 2023

References and additional sources

  1. National Inventors Hall of Fame: https://www.invent.org/inductees/search
  2. Short read of the history of the Middle East, by Powerlineblog.com: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2023/11/dont-know-much-about-middle-eastern-history.php
  3. Achievements of Jewish People November 15, 2023, Biomedical and Life Sciences: https://www.jinfo.org/Biomedical_Research.html
  4. Medical advances by Jewish Nobel winners that saved millions of lives: https://www.jinfo.org/Life_Savers.html
  5. Jewish Nobel Laureates : https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-nobel-prize-laureates
  6. “How to Explain High Jewish Achievements, The Role of Intelligence and Values”: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=8ed1a05698ac313c6e361f1f0c31ab6d80f4c1d5
  7. Wikipedia List of Jewish Nobel Laureates: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_Nobel_laureates
  8. Scientific Heroes website: https://web.archive.org/web/20201128185053/http://www.scienceheroes.com/
  9. Beginnings of Anti-Semitism, Early Church to 1400, by U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism-in-history-from-the-early-church-to-1400
  10. Comprehensive and long read on the History of Anti-Semitism by Museum of Tolerance from days of Christ to modern times: https://www.museumoftolerance.com/education/teacher-resources/holocaust-resources/antisemitism-a-historical-survey.html
  11. 100 people Statistics website: https://www.100people.org/statistics-100-people/ Sources: 2016 – Fritz Erickson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Ferris State University (Formerly Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay) and John A. Vonk, University of Northern Colorado, 2006; Returning Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison Wisconsin, Unheard Voices: Celebrating Cultures from the Developing World, 1992; Donella H. Meadows, The Global Citizen, May 31, 1990.
  12. Meriam Webster Dictionary, definition of the “American Dream”: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20American%20dream
  13. Forbes Wilson of Freeport McMoran book, “Conquest of Copper Mountain”
  14. Liberty Energy, “Bettering Human Lives”: https://www.libertyenergy.com/betteringhumanlivesv2/
  15. USCB-OLLI Program, “The History of Energy and Electricity 1850-1955” by Dick Storm: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/01/14/a-short-history-of-energy-electricity-and-how-our-high-quality-of-living-came-to-be-high-human-development-index-part-1-1850-1955/
  16. Vaclav Smil Book, “How the World Really Works”
  17. Professor Richard Lindzen, retired Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at MIT, Interview on You Tube: https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/richard-lindzen-key-points-climate-alarmists-get-wrong-5533100
  18. Charlie Munger video discussing wealth inequality, greed and envy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8a0AJicXCw
  19. Charles Martin Hall, Inventor of aluminum smelting process: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Martin-Hall
economic prosperity and energy, Education, Fossil Fuels are Important

The Importance of Fuel Diversity to Power Our Lives, Part 2

Leave a comment

Sources of Primary Energy for Electricity Generation, Transportation, Industrial Production, Commercial and Residential uses. Electricity generation was described in part 1, here. The purpose of this article is to describe where the other 63% of the Primary Energy is used and why gasoline, Diesel, jet fuel, natural gas remain important to sustaining our high quality of living, food production (91,92) and freedom to travel. The Primary energy consumed numbers below are from the LLNL energy flow chart for 2022, published a few weeks ago.(1)

Precious articles that I have written cover the importance of energy in our lives. In particular, how each of us uses between 833,000 and a million BTUs of energy each and every day to power our lives. Here. Also on how conventional forms of energy provide most of the energy we depend on every day. Here and Here.

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has provided Energy Flow Diagrams for the Department of Energy for many years. The chart below shows the updated, total Primary energy flows for the year 2022. A green oval surrounds the 5.7% Primary energy provided by wind and solar. Yes, that is right, wind and solar together provided less than 6% of the total PRIMARY energy used by Americans during all of 2022.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Energy Flow Chart for year 2022: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov

The fact is, after many years of government subsidies, wind and solar are still single digits of the total primary energy sources to power our lives. America depends on over 94% of our total primary energy from conventional forms of primary energy. 79% from fossil fuels. The chart below is from the U.S. Dept. of Energy EIA website.

EIA Graphs of Energy use 1950-2022: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56980

The topic for this article is Fuel Diversity. The Conventional primary energy chart 1776-2022 shows the progress through history of how our quality of life, industrial production and economy improved to become better and better. From the days of the 1960’s when the theme was “Living Better Electrically”(93) up until current time, more energy was needed to replace muscle power for these improvements in quality of life and freedom. Here. Then, as noted in previous articles, since about the year 2000, America has needed and used a steady 100 Quadrillion Btus of total primary energy. In fact, 2022 was exactly 100.3 Quadrillion Btus. This primary energy can be sourced from a variety of fuels for electricity generation and for some other uses as is shown on the EIA chart above. However, when transportation is considered, the choices of substitution of fuels becomes more dependent on energy density. In other words, Jet Fuel cannot be replaced by nuclear, coal or natural gas.

Ron Stein wrote an excellent article on the importance of oil and what if we returned to life as it was in the 1800’s? It is here. Some excerpts from his CFACT article entitled, “What if We Went Back to a Fossil Fuel Free Society like the 1800’s?”:

  • The pre-1800s, when the world had no fuels other than wood, dung, and crop waste and used animals for transport. (Kindly refer to the chart above, Fuels used 1776-2022)
  • A food crisis in which billions will die. Fossil fuels are used to plant, harvest, process, refrigerate, deliver, and cook food for most of the 8 billion people living on earth. And for the plastic to keep it safe and fresh a lot longer. 
  • A forest and wildlife crisis as billions go back to using wood as their primary cooking and home heating fuel. Cutting down forests. The air would be far dirtier because of burning wood for fuel. 
  • There would be no products that are based on oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil, coal, and natural gas! Such as life-saving medical equipment, plastics, many chemicals that make our lives better, and just about everything we take to be modern, such as cell phones. 
  • The elimination of all of today’s militaries and space programs as the world reverts to when civilization existed without oil. 
  • Eliminate the need for airports that now accommodate more than 20,000 commercial aircraft and more than 50,000 military aircraft. 
  • Eliminate the need for major shipping ports that accommodate military and cruise ships.
  • Eliminate the more than 50,000 merchant ships that are moving products around the world that are made with the oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil, coal, and natural gas!

Thank you Ron Stein for your excellent analyses. Then there are the National defense aspects of energy independence. I wrote on this before too. Here, Here, Here and Here.

Electrify Transportation? What is the Motive?

President Obama and the U.S. auto manufacturing executives agreed to what became an effective EV Mandate in 2012. This was not what Americans wanted and not in the best interests of our country. But, folks, it was during the Obama administration when the “War on Carbon” really started to have a severe impact on the un-American and unwise “Climate Policies” that the destructive Net-Zero Carbon path the Biden Administration has set our country on. My previous article on “How the War on Carbon began” is here. (63)

Conclusions

Americans and all of the free western world need conventional forms of energy to sustain our quality of life and freedom to travel. The government war on carbon is not about saving the planet or environmental protection, it is about control of our lives. Actually, the roots of the environmental activists really go back to Margaret Sanger, the Club of Rome, Paul Ehrlich’s book “The Population Bomb” and policies to limit population of the earth. The World Economic Forum and other activist organizations have advocated “De Industrialization and De Growth”. (19, 29, 30, 31,33)

Rather than solving problems through science and engineering as Fritz Haber did when he invented the Haber-Bosch process about 1908 for producing synthetic ammonia fertilizer and thus, provide increased food production for the people of the world. Read more here.(91) Also, Norman Borlaug who created the “Good and Beneficial Green Revolution” of food production through genetically improved crops.(92) I have written on some of those who are responsible for destructive green energy policies and the ineffectiveness of the United Nations. Here and here.

Whatever the motivations are for Net-Zero Carbon, it will not work and will only weaken our country and work against the best interests of Humanity. There definitely is both strong influence of Green Policies from foreign influence and from NGO’s. These influencers are working against the best interests of our great country. Check references below 19-90 to see for yourself. There are many others included below to support my conclusions and previous articles. Kindly spread the word. The 2024 election is coming and we do not need more energy ignorant, green energy biased and un-American elected officials.

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, Nov. 10, 2023

References and Resources for further research

  1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Energy Flow Chart for year 2022: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov
  2. Ron Stein article for Heartland on the National security risk of California importing about 75% of its petroleum products, Nov. 7, 2023: https://heartland.org/opinion/california-continues-to-be-a-national-security-risk-for-america/
  3. EIA Energy Use Chart, Nov. 2023: https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/flow/total_energy_2022.pdf
  4. EIA Total Energy Explained, for year 2022: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/
  5. EIA Graphs of Energy use 1950-2022: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56980
  6. Dick Storm Blog, “The Importance of Fuel Diversity for Generation of Electricity” Especially a 30+ day coal storage pile for energy storage onsite: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/10/26/the-importance-of-fuel-diversity-to-power-our-economy-and-our-lives-part-1/
  7. Dick Storm Blog, Americans Depend on about a million Btus each day per person: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/05/17/providing-a-sustainable-million-btus-per-day-per-person-by-fuel-source/
  8. Heartland article on California importing 75% of petroleum to provide fuel for airports, trucking and vital U.S. interests, Ron Stein, Nov. 2023: https://heartland.org/opinion/california-continues-to-be-a-national-security-risk-for-america/
  9. Dick Storm Blog, Sustainable Conventional Energy Provides the Lifeblood of our Freedom and High Quality of living: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/05/31/energysustainable-high-quality-of-life-what-do-the-politicians-think-we-are-willing-to-do-without-energyhigh-quality-of-life-strong-economy-and-freedom/
  10. “Wake Up Americans, Your Energy and Electricity Supply is Being Sabotaged from Within”, Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/20/please-wake-up-america-your-energy-and-electricity-generation-reliability-are-at-risk/
  11. “America Needs a Rational Energy Policy”, Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/10/18/american-energy-independence-with-a-rational-energy-policy-is-needed-now/
  12. “All Fuels are Important” Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/02/10/all-fuels-are-important-a-review-of-the-reality-of-competitive-electricity-generation-and-the-supply-of-needed-transportation-fuels/
  13. “Energy and Economic Prosperity”, Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/11/18/energy-and-economic-prosperity-2/
  14. “Influencers of Un-American Energy & Environmental Policies” Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/14/green-energy-crisis-part-2-meet-the-policy-makers-that-caused-it/
  15. Vaclav Klaus’ 2006 book, “Blue Planet in Green Shackles, What is Endangered? The Climate or Freedom?” offers a prescient view of the political nature of Green policies: Dick Storm Blog https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/02/27/what-is-endangered-climate-or-freedom-this-is-the-sub-title-of-the-book-blue-planet-in-green-shackles/ 
  16. Biography of Socialist, Antonio Gutterres, U.N. Secretary General, Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonio-Guterres
  17. Gutterres says, “The World Needs One Body of Supreme Global Governance ”, Breitbart News, 2020: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/26/u-n-chief-guterres-calls-for-one-supreme-body-of-global-governance/
  18. World Economic Forum, Founder and Leader, Klaus Schwab, Bio:  https://www.weforum.org/about/klaus-schwab 
  19. World Economic Forum Doesn’t Even Hide their Intent to Create Decline of the Western World: https://blackmon.substack.com/p/fridays-energy-absurdity-wef-isnt
  20. CRC on environmental group connections in this blog post from June 2021: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nonprofits-in-the-biden-administration-special-interest-and-advocacy-groups/
  21. Science Matters on the Roots of Environmentalism, Jan 2023: https://rclutz.com/2023/01/06/from-nature-conservation-to-climate-calamity/#like-28807
  22. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”:  https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  23. The UK and European experiences with “Green Energy” should be a clear warning to the U.S.A., The Telegraph, June 11, 2023: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/britain-s-green-energy-disaster-should-be-an-awful-warning-to-americans/ar-AA1compu?OCID=ansmsnnews11
  24. How the Greens Went Mainstream, Foreign Policy, April 2021: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/23/how-the-greens-went-mainstream/
  25. Russian Funding of Anti-Fossil Fuels Groups in U.S. March 2022, The Hill: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/
  26. Washinton Free Beacon article on EPA Requests DOJ to Investigate Dark Money to Environmental Activist Groups, October 2020:  https://freebeacon.com/national-security/epa-requests-doj-investigate-foreign-funding-of-environmental-groups/
  27. Dark Money accepted by Democrats from BlueGreen Alliance admission, Washington free Beacon May 24, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/senate-finance-committee-dems-said-theyd-fight-dark-money-they-just-fawned-over-a-liberal-dark-money-operative/
  28. “So-Called” Democracy Alliance Investment Report, 2014: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1202744/da-portfolio2012-2014-042714.pdf
  29. Swiss Billionaire Bankrolls Biden Agenda through Arabella Advisors, Reported in Washington Free Beacon, April 4, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/swiss-billionaire-bankrolls-biden-agenda-with-63-million-in-dark-money/
  30. Meet the Group behind Banning Gas Stoves, Rocky Mountain Institute Creates anti Gas Stove Campaign, partially funded by China, as reported in Washington free Beacon, January 16, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/meet-the-green-energy-group-behind-the-study-thats-driving-calls-to-ban-gas-stoves/
  31. Stacey Abrams working with Group, Rewiring America, to Ban Gas Stoves. Group has ties with Chinese Funding, Washington Free Beacon, March 16, 2023: https://freebeacon.com/democrats/election-denier-stacey-abrams-is-now-working-to-eliminate-gas-stoves/
  32. Obama’s Man in China is now China’s Man in Washington, Max Baucus is talking head for China, Washington Free Beacon, May 21, 2020: https://freebeacon.com/national-security/obamas-man-in-china-now-beijings-man-in-washington/
  33. Numerous articles on Environmental Activists around the world, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/us/topics/environmental-activism-3496
  34. BBC Report on 50 years of Activism, How the Biggest Environmental Movement Began April 2020: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200420-earth-day-2020-how-an-environmental-movement-was-born
  35. Meet the Activists, Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/explore/savingearth/meet-the-activists
  36. House Lawmakers Step Up Action on Green Groups Working with Foreign Countries, June, 2018, Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-environment-congress-idUSKBN1JG204
  37. Washington Examiner, June 2018: Russian Groups Gave Millions to Green Groups to Fight Fracking in U.S.: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russian-funded-environmental-group-gave-millions-to-anti-fracking-groups  
  38. GAO Report on Foreign Influence of U.S. Research, Oct. 2021: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105434
  39. FBI Investigating Foreign Influence of Jan. 6, 2020 Capital Riot, NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fbi-probing-if-foreign-governments-groups-funded-extremists-who-helped-n1254525
  40. Capital Research Report on Combatting Foreign Influence of American Institutions, Robert Stilson, October 2020 : https://capitalresearch.org/article/combating-foreign-government-influence-in-american-institutions/  
  41. Report of Uranium One Deal sale to Russia and Russian Influence of the Obama’s and Clintons, Fox News 2018 : https://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II06/20190625/109694/HHRG-116-II06-20190625-SD004.pdf
  42. The Hill, Wikileaks Releases Alleged John Podesta emails on Russian Business dealings of Clintons and Obama, Oct. 10, 2016: https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/299904-wikileaks-releases-alleged-podesta-emails/
  43. Politico, What you Need to Know About Hillary Clinton and Uranium One Deal, Nov. 14, 2017: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/14/hillary-clinton-uranium-one-deal-russia-explainer-244895
  44. Oil Price.com report on Russia Owning some U.S. Nuclear Fuel as a result of the Uranium One Deal, May 6, 2015: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/Does-Russia-Really-Own-20-Of-The-US-Uranium-Reserves.html
  45. John Podesta was involved in a major deal with Russians in 2011-2019, Breitbart News, April 4, 2019: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/03/collusion-russians-gave-35-million-to-company-with-john-podesta-on-board/  
  46. John Podesta’s brother Tony received payments as a Lobbyist for Russia on Uranium One Deal and was not registered as a Foreign Agent,  Daily Caller, Nov. 2017  :  https://dailycaller.com/2017/11/05/tony-podesta-lobbied-for-russias-uranium-one-and-did-not-file-as-a-foreign-agent/
  47. Forbes, Oct. 25, 2017; “Why Was Justice Dept. Silent on Criminal Activity of Nuclear Agency During Obama’s Administration”: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2017/10/25/why-was-obamas-justice-department-silent-on-criminal-activity-by-russias-nuclear-agency/?sh=38d0c3fabe17  
  48. American Thinker, October 2017 article, So what was John Podesta’s now-collapsed Russian green energy scheme really all about?https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/10/so_what_was_john_podestas_nowcollapsed_russian_green_energy_scheme_really_all_about.html
  49. John Podesta And Podesta Group Under Investigation By FBI And DOJ Technocracy News, August 2016: https://www.technocracy.news/john-podesta-and-podesta-group-under-investigation-by-fbi-and-doj/
  50. Climate Depot, March 6, 2022, Investigate Russia’s covert funding of US anti-fossil fuel groups:https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/03/06/investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/
  51. The Hill, March 1, 2022, Russia Investigation on Involvement with U.S. Anti-Fossil Fuels Groups: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/  
  52. BIV.com, Canadian Environmental Groups Received $1.3 Billion in Foreign Funding : https://biv.com/article/2021/10/canadian-environmental-groups-got-13-billion-foreign-funding-inquiry
  53. Natural Resources Defense Council Receives 100 Million from Jeff Bezos, Nov. 2020: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/nrdc-receives-100-million-bezos-earth-fund-accelerate-climate-action
  54. Big Green Radicals Funding, NRDC : https://biggreenradicals.com/group/natural-resources-defense-council/
  55. Washington Free Beacon report on Foreign Funding through Bermuda of Environmental Extremist Groups, August 2013 : https://freebeacon.com/national-security/liberal-foundation-distributed-money-from-bermuda-to-liberal-nonprofits/
  56. Washington Examiner, Leftists Activists Demand Democrats Keep Nuclear and Carbon Capture Out of Green Energy Bill, May 12, 2021: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/activists-demand-renewable-energy-standard
  57. Here are 36 Organizations Helping to Solve the Climate Crisis (and weaken the U.S.A.) FoodTank.com, 2020 : https://foodtank.com/news/2020/10/36-organizations-helping-solve-the-climate-crisis/
  58. Russia Funding Activist Groups in U.S. Center for Security Policy, March 2019 : https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/moscow-secretly-funded-us-anti-fracking-groups-is-it-now-attacking-us-energy-companies/
  59. Robert Bryce, No Uranium for Nuclear, June 9, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/no-u
  60. Tom Steyer in Philanthropy News, 2014, Donates 50 million to NextGen Climate Action in Florida for Climate Change: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/hedge-fund-billionaire-to-step-up-climate-change-advocacy-efforts
  61. Sheldon Whitehouse’s new book where he will claim the opposition party does what he and his party have done very effectively, for decades: “The Scheme, where He accuses Republicans of using Dark Money”, when in fact, the Democrats do it much more: https://thenewpress.com/books/scheme
  62. Ron Clutz Blog “Science Matters” June 12, 2023 on the Climate Blame Game & “Energy Absurdities” in Canada:  https://rclutz.com/2023/06/12/absurd-climate-blame-game/#like-31517 
  63. Dick Storm Blog post, “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/ 
  64. West Virginia Shelly Moore Capito Opinion in WVA “Intelligencer” Newspaper, July 2022 on Joe Goffman as nominee to EPA position: https://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/local-columns/2022/07/joe-goffman-the-wrong-choice-to-help-lead-epa/ 
  65. Pentagon to Electrify the Military, Nov. 2021, Military.com:  https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/11/09/electric-military-vehicles-are-part-of-biden-climate-agenda-pentagon-says.html
  66. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”:  https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  67. Environment America.org, Why Environmentalists Back Ed Markey: https://environmentamerica.org/articles/supporting-ed-markey/ 
  68. The Guardian on Bill Gates views on Climate, Feb. 2021: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/13/bill-gates-on-the-climate-crisis-i-cant-deny-being-a-rich-guy-with-an-opinion
  69. John Kerry Targets Agriculture at WEF Speech, May 2023, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-targets-agriculture-part-climate-crusade
  70. WEF Calls for Limiting Private Car Use, June 2022:  https://www.internationalfreepress.com/2023/06/wef-document-calls-for-limiting-private.html
  71. WEF on Population Degrowth, June 2022: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
  72. WEF Calls to reduce vehicles by eliminating ownership, Climate Depot, Aug. 2022: https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/08/01/world-economic-forum-calls-to-reduce-private-vehicles-by-eliminating-ownership/
  73. Greta Thunberg Time Line, April 2021, Independent, UK: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/greta-thunberg-bbc-documentary-timeline-b1830225.html
  74. Sierra Club and Abortion Alignment, On the Issues, : https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Sierra_Club_Abortion.htm
  75. U.N., Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club Alignment Sept. 2015:  https://unfoundation.org/media/un-foundation-planned-parenthood-federation-of-america-sierra-club-announce-winners-of-first-ever-why-we-care-youth-emerging-leaders-for-reproductive-rights-contest/
  76. Sierra Club & NRDC Environmental Groups Urge Support for Affordable Care Act and Reproductive Rights, March 2017: https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/03/environmental-groups-urge-support-affordable-care-act-and-planned-parenthood
  77. Sierra Club & Planned Parenthood Join Conferences to Explain Sex and the Environment. Nov. 2007, Catholic News Agency,: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/11091/sierra-club-joins-planned-parenthood-to-offer-conferences-on-sex-and-the-environment
  78. Lecture by Michael Rectenwald at Hillsdale College on “What is the Great Reset”, The Great Reset movement toward World Totalitarianism: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/
  79. Daily Skeptic, Feb. 23, 2023, by 30 year Reuter’s veteran Journalist “I Thought CO2 Was Causing Global Warming, I was Wrong”: https://dailysceptic.org/2023/02/23/when-i-covered-climate-change-for-reuters-i-thought-co2-was-to-blame-for-rising-temperatures-i-was-wrong/
  80. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, 60 years later, Fails Test of Time, WUWT: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/17/carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007
  81. John Kerry, Ties to Radical Environmental Groups, but kept secret, Oct. 2022, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-probe-john-kerrys-ties-eco-groups-efforts-shield-oversight 
  82. The Money Trail to Influence Elected Officials, on the “Zero Population Growth” Agenda, Aimed at Influencing the Votes of Women. $$ Billions$$ AMAC Article on Companies that donate to Planned Parenthood, 2017:  https://amac.us/may-not-support-planned-parenthoodbut-favorite-companies/
  83. 2nd Vote website that lists companies that have contributed $1.3 Billion to Planned Parenthood, updated to 2020: https://www.2ndvote.com/planned-parenthood/
  84. Daily Signal list of companies that donate to Planned Parenthood, Aug. 2015: https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/08/19/more-companies-that-have-donated-to-planned-parenthood/ 
  85. Daily Signal July 2015,  https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/07/21/meet-the-41-companies-that-donate-directly-to-planned-parenthood/
  86. More companies that donate to Planned Parenthood, Partners for Ethical Care: https://www.partnersforethicalcare.com/planned-parenthood-donors
  87. JTF donations of 25 million to Democrats: https://jtf.org/follow-the-money-planned-parenthood-donated-25m-to-democrats-since-2000/
  88. INTEL and others that promote Zero Population Growth and Planned Parenthood: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/meet-the-biggest-planned-parenthood-supporter-in-corporate-america.html
  89. Open Secrets Donations to Planned Parenthood, 2022:  https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2022?cmte=Planned+Parenthood&tab=donors
  90. Capital Research Center video on influence of teen females by Leftist organizations such as Arabella Advisors: https://capitalresearch.org/article/teen-vogue-training-young-female-leftists/ 
  91. Fritz Haber invents the Synthetic Ammonia Fertilizer Process, Chemical Engineering, March 2010 : https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/features/cewctw-fritz-haber-and-carl-bosch-feed-the-world/
  92. Alliance for Science article on Norman Borlaug’s “Green Revolution”: https://allianceforscience.org/blog/2020/04/norman-borlaug-legacy-documentary/
  93. “The Era of Reliable, Affordable Energy and Electricity” Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/10/04/the-era-of-reliable-affordable-energy-and-electricity-generation-part-1/
  94. Harold Hamm’s book review, “Game Changer” How America became Energy Independent through Hydraulic Fracturing and Directional Drilling, Dick Storm Blog: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/17/harold-hamms-book-game-changer-a-must-read-for-elected-officials-and-candidates-for-elective-office/
Basic Energy Knowledge, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy and Electricity Fundamentals, Fossil Fuels are Important, Keeping America Great, Nuclear, Nuclear Power Generation

The Importance of Fuel Diversity to Power Our Economy and Our Lives, Part 1

1 Comment

Much has been written on the importance of energy to power a nation’s economy and to continue to provide a high quality Human Development Index. The purpose of this post is to focus on the importance of Fuel Diversity for electricity generation. There is a proven concept for energy storage for electricity generation. It is coal fueled power plants with a 30-60 day supply of coal in a pile, on site. This is proven to be reliable, low cost and safe.

Energy powers everything we do!

Think about this. You are probably reading this on a computer screen. Have a warm cup of coffee nearby and are sitting in an air conditioned office or home. Your car is sitting outside and at your urging is ready to provide transportation. You get the point. Remember the last hurricane or severe winter storm that killed power for a day or so? Loss of energy sources or electricity is debilitating. Think about the 1970’s Oil Embargoes. If you are too young to remember 1973-1979 check these references, here and here.

Primary Energy Sources-Back to Basics

Lets discuss energy and electricity and the sources and quantity of everyday energy that we depend on.

America has used right at 100 Quadrillion Btus of PRIMARY energy per annum since about the year 2000.

The energy we use is compiled by various government agencies in BTUs equivalent (British Thermal Units). A BTU is enough heat to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, just as a reminder of High School Physics. Each BTU converted to work is equivalent (at 100% efficiency) to 778 Foot Pounds. Therefore, the energy production and consumption is converted to BTUs so that all forms of energy can be reported on a like basis. I wrote an article on the basics of energy for Middle School students here if you are interested, also on “Demystifying Energy and Electricity” here.

This article is about fuel diversity. Just as I explained above regarding the reporting of energy in BTUs to have a common measurement of energy quantities, in some cases one fuel can be substituted for another, especially in electric power generation. Thermal Power Generation Plants that generate Bulk Power can be provided with natural gas, coal, oil, Biomass or nuclear energy to produce steam to drive a steam turbine generator. The fuel selected is done for reasons of economic or fuel availability. Hawaii is truly an Energy Island and thus cannot interconnect with the lower 48 states. Fuels for Thermal Power Generation needs to be imported. In fact, I wrote on Hawaii’s electricity generation in 2020, here.

The proportions of each form of energy used and depended on to power our lives has changed as technologies for extraction and production have improved. For example for electric power generation coal fuel was consumed for about 50% of power generation in year 2000. Then due to the Shale Revolution of Hydraulic Fracturing and Directional Drilling, natural gas became less expensive than coal on a $/million BTU basis. See my review of Harold Hamm’s book, Game Changer which covers the Shale Gas Revolution, here. Thus, gas was substituted for coal generation by many utilities that could get it. Alaska and Hawaii of course do not have pipelines to connect, but of many utilities in the lower 48 states, gas was an economical and clean fuel of choice.

Coal fuel in the U.S. today provides about 23 % of the primary energy to produce Bulk Electric Power over the year. The substitution of coal fuel as primary energy is natural gas which has become more economical as a result of the Shale gas revolution which took off about 2012. Electricity is SECONDARY Energy and must be produced from Primary energy. Electricity is important and in 2022 electricity consumed about a third (37.7% to be exact) of the total PRIMARY energy used in the U.S. The best factual illustration that I am aware, of the sources and consumption of primary energy is the LLNL Energy Flow Diagram, shown below. This is one of my favorite graphics and it is prepared each year by the Department of Energy. The chart above shows the total primary energy used since 1950 and thus supports my conclusion that America needs right at 100 Quads per year to sustain our quality of life, economy and industrial production.

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory Sankey Diagram of U.S. Energy Flows, 2022

The total Primary Energy used by the U.S. from coal fuel in 2022 was about 10% of the total. (9.91% from data above). That doesn’t seem like much does it? Remember, this is primary energy I am talking about. So, although coal only provided about 10% of our total primary energy it was in fact, Dispatchable, affordable and it provided electricity generation when solar and wind were not available. The chart below is of MISO generation by fuel this past summer. This example shows 40% of total power generation in MISO from coal at this moment in time.

The topic of this article is “The Importance of Fuel Diversity”. The example above of summer Bulk Power Generation depending on coal fueled power generation units is just one of many reasons America should keep our Fuel Diversity. Another example of the importance of coal plants and the consequences of shutting them down is discussed in my blog post discussing the February 2021 Texas Blackout that killed over 200 people. Here.

My previous post on De-Mystifying Energy attempted to explain this, here. The difference between Primary and Secondary Energy is important. If everything is Electrified as many suggest we should do, has anyone really thought through where the primary energy to do so is to be sourced? In my opinion, it has not. Wind and solar cannot replace the primary energy currently required. The four charts shown up to here should make that clear.

Government policy and many people in the general public believe that renewables can replace fossil fuels and nuclear. The harsh reality is that after decades of government subsidies & tax credits wind and solar provide less than 6% of our total PRIMARY energy. Here below is the LLNL Energy Flow Diagram from 2021 with the 4.96% wind and solar contribution circled.

Public demonization of all conventional fuels including nuclear, coal, gas, gasoline, Diesel are unAmerican and foolish. Wind and solar only provide single digits of the total Primary energy needed to power our lives and it will be impossible to ramp wind & solar renewables up to 100% of our energy needs. The charts above are from the government statistics as published on the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Sankey Diagram website, an excellent resource.

Back to Fuel Diversity

Each American citizen, on average is accustomed to using about 315 million Btus of energy per year. I have written separate articles on American energy use here and here. My first point is that we all need on average of about 863,000 to 1 million Btus each day in Total Primary Energy. This number is provided by dividing 330 million citizens into 100 Quadrillion Btus and then dividing that by 365 days/year = 863,000 BTUs per day/citizen of PRIMARY Energy. This is for all uses which (see LLNL chart above) including: Electricity generation, Transportation, Industrial Production, Commercial and Residential uses. The second important point is that providing this energy each day may be from various forms of energy. Depending on which is more efficient or more economical. Let’s take an example of electric generation on July 21, 2023 in the Midwest at about 2:00 PM in the afternoon (example above). It was more economical to use coal fuel for 40% of the electricity generation at that hour. It may have been, I do not know for sure, that only coal generation could deliver the electricity Demand at that moment. The fact is, coal delivered 40% of the electricity at that moment.

Let’s take another example from last winter. This example below is from Christmas week, 2022.

Fuel Diversity with more coal plants ready to operate and properly maintained could have avoided the Blackouts of Christmas week, 2022. Duke Energy has shut down many coal plants as part of their Net-Zero Carbon plan. So have many other Utilities, both Public and Investor Owned. I presented my views on this at the ENERUM (Columbus Ohio Energy Forum) in August 2022. My presentation is Here. Also, my recent article on the self sabotaging of our energy and electricity generation Grid is here.

Even well respected utilities that were once known for their outstanding leadership and engineering excellence are planning to shut more of their coal plants down in the near future. This works against Fuel Diversity! Here below is a screen print excerpt of the Duke Energy IRP for 2023:

These planned shut downs are in spite of the winter 2022 rolling Blackouts described above. Why? Because the N.C. politicians and top Duke management have agreed to follow a disastrous Net-Zero Carbon path. So has the S.C. Legislature and Santee-Cooper. I wrote about Santee-Cooper in an earlier article, here.

Energy Storage

My first instructor on electricity generation was in class in 1959. The instructor, Harry Park stated, “Electricity needs to be generated the instant that it is needed”. That stuck with me my entire career. Today intermittent renewables are the rage and of course, as Mr. Park stated in 1959, electricity needs to be generated or provided from storage the instant it is needed. That is what built America’s Grid and America’s strong economy. Reliable, affordable electricity available the instant it is needed or in today’s word, Demanded. The published articles I see regarding the justification of higher and higher percentages of wind and solar generation are dependent on electricity storage. The best and largest Bulk Power Storage systems today are “Pumped Storage Hydro”. Such as Duke Energy’s Bad Creek or TVA’s Raccoon Mountain. These work well where the local topography allows it. Bad Creek has about 1,200 ft of elevation change between the upper and lower reservoirs(21). Bad Creek is currently, according to N.C. Business Journal, being uprated to about 2,800 MW. TVA’s Raccoon Mountain provides 1,650 MW of storage. Two other alternatives for storage are batteries and hydrogen. The largest battery electric storage system (BESS) that I am aware is in California. This is at Moss Landing Plant in California. It is being uprated to 3,000 MWH. The “H” after MW means Hour. That means the electricity stored is good at the rated capacity for one hour. Enough time to start gas turbines or buy power from a neighboring utility on the grid. Hydrogen can be a source of storage too. However, it must be remembered that it takes about four times the input of electricity to produce one unit of Bulk Power from hydrogen. An excellent reference on this was published in Gas Turbine World Magazine in August 2022, Here. (22)

The most reliable, proven, safe and affordable form of Energy Storage: A large pile of coal onsite at a clean, efficient coal power plant. When I started in the power generation business in the 1960’s one of my experiences was in conducting a boiler efficiency test at a large power plant in Illinois. As I recall the explanation for the huge coal pile was, “Because of the possibility of Union walkouts at either the coal mines or the railroad, a 90 day supply of coal was required to be stored on site”. Proven, safe and affordable. The photo below is real long term energy storage. A coal pile can store enough energy for a 2,000 MW power plant to run full power for months, not hours as is currently planned for batteries.

Electricity, Transportation, Industrial Production, Commercial, Residential

These five categories of energy use are shown on the LLNL charts above. Americans with our current population of about 330 million, will need at least 100 Quads per year for the foreseeable future. If we are to sustain our quality of life and freedom to travel, we will continue to need about 100 Quads per year. This article is focussed on electricity generation and the 37% of America’s PRIMARY Energy used to generate Bulk Power. The second part of this article will cover the other 63% of our PRIMARY ENERGY.

Conclusion

It will be impossible to replace fossil fuels with wind and solar any time soon. Attempting to do so will create hardships, economic decline and a general weakness of our country including weakness of our National Security.

The best and most proven energy storage system that I have known through my entire career in power generation is a large coal pile. It was common for coal power plants to have 30 or 60 day supplies of coal storage on the plant site.

On a positive note, I wrote about the preceding 80 years the “Era of Affordable, Reliable Energy and Electricity Generation, Part 1” Here. America really did great things in making energy and electricity reliable and affordable for over 80 years. Coal plants became more efficient and clean, nuclear power came of age and America became energy independent and the largest producer of natural gas in the world. I chose 80 years because that covers my lifetime and I know the history of accomplishments during these times, because I worked in the power generation business for over 50 of those years. Experiences in design, maintenance, operations, tuning, upgrading, capacity improvements, Betterments, Heat-Rate Improvements, fuel flexibility, fouling and slagging reductions and emissions reductions of fossil power systems. I admit, I am not a policy wonk, I am a nuts and bolts power engineer. But, I have been gifted with many years of experiences and have traveled much of the world to witness the relationship of energy and economic prosperity.

The loss of legacy coal plants is threatening Bulk Power Supply Reliability by the loss of over 100,000 MW’s of reliable coal power generation capacity without replacing it in kind is wrong. I wrote on the “End of the Era of Reliable, Affordable Energy and Electricity” a couple weeks ago. It is here. The references included are from NERC, FERC and other reliable people and sources of information. I encourage the reader to check these references to decide for yourself.

Nuclear power generation is the only known technology to produce carbon dioxide free electric power. However, building a new nuclear power generation supply chain will take decades. David Archibald wrote an excellent article on “The Energy Future We Need to Have a Future Worth Having”, here. I also support nuclear for the long term, but the next 30 years are important to work through and hopefully, sustain our high quality of life until future technologies and the needed supply-chains are sufficiently developed for safe and reliable implementation. My previous blog post covered an overview of the needed new thinking (and policies) on nuclear power for carbon dioxide emissions reduction to succeed. here. (27)

Unless the current path to Net-Zero Carbon is stopped, America faces shortages of electricity, including rolling Blackouts during extreme weather. Such as the coming winter in December 2023 and January 2024. Please Wake up Americans, Your Energy and Electricity Supply is Being Self Sabotaged from Within!

Yours truly,

Dick Storm, October 25, 2023

References for further reading:

  1. Dick Storm Blog, Back to Basics, America Needs About 100 Quadrillion Btus each year: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/16/back-to-basics-the-u-s-needs-100-quadrillion-btus-year-of-primary-energy/
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Energy Flow Diagram for year 2022: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov
  3. Dick Storm Blog, “The American Dream=100 Quadrillion Btus of Energy: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/07/04/american-dream-100-quadrillion-btus/
  4. WFAE News Article on, “How Duke’s Power Failures Came to Be From Lack of Reserves over Christmas Eve, 2022: https://www.wfae.org/energy-environment/2023-01-12/how-a-lack-of-power-for-sale-led-to-duke-energys-christmas-eve-blackouts
  5. Dick Storm ENERUM, August 2022 presentation: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_presentation-and-speakers-notes-from-august-activity-7068650158862827520-B-_W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktophttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7056884647858765824?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7056884647858765824%29
  6. Dick Storm Blog post, “Mentoring of Middle School Students on the basics of energy and electricity”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/03/09/mentoring-the-middle-school-students/
  7. Dick Storm Blog post on Rotary presentation, “Demystifying Energy and Electric Power Generation”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/11/17/demystifying-the-importance-of-energy-and-electric-power/
  8. Dick Storm Blog, “Hawaii-A Glimpse Into the Future of the Green New Deal” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2020/06/03/hawaii-a-gimpse-into-the-future-of-the-green-new-deal/
  9. Harold Hamm’s book, “Game Changer” which chronicles the history of Hydraulic Fracturing, Directional Drilling and the Shale Gas Revolution: Dick Storm review: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/17/harold-hamms-book-game-changer-a-must-read-for-elected-officials-and-candidates-for-elective-office/
  10. Dick Storm Blog post, “The End of the Era of Abundant, Affordable Energy and Electricity” Thanks to misguided government Regulations: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/10/12/the-end-of-the-era-of-reliable-abundant-and-affordable-energy-and-electricity-part-ii/
  11. Dick Storm Blog, “How Can a 6,000 MW Utility Which Likely will be a 9,000 MW Utility in 2050, Achieve Net-Zero Carbon?” ; https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/04/27/how-can-a-6000-mw-regional-utility-in-2030-which-likely-will-be-a-9000-mw-utility-in-2050-achieve-net-zero-carbon/
  12. The Green Transition is “Social Vandalism” WUWT, Oct. 3, 2023:  https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/10/03/the-energy-transition-is-social-vandalism/
  13. America’s Power Coal Facts: https://americaspower.org/COAL-FACTS/
  14. NERC 200-2023 Winter Assessment: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_WRA_2022.pdf  
  15. CO2 Coalition, “Fear the Cold”, Cold is Bad for Humanity, October 24, 2023: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Fear-the-Cold.html?soid=1101509381788&aid=TJ7nY5OPc1A
  16. Dick Storm Blog, “Green Energy Crisis, Part3”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/26/green-energy-crisis-part-3-public-energy-education-is-needed-each-person-in-the-u-s-uses-about-315-million-btus-of-primary-energy-year-this-is-not-practical-or-even-possible-to-replace-with-win/
  17. 1973 Oil Embargo, History by the Boston Federal Reserve: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/oil-shock-of-1973-74
  18. The Arab Oil Embargo, 40 Years Later, by Center for Strategic International Studies, 2013: https://www.csis.org/analysis/arab-oil-embargo-40-years-later
  19. WUWT, David Archibald, “The Energy We Need For A Future Worth Having” , Oct. 25, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/10/25/the-energy-future-we-need-to-have-a-future-worth-having/
  20. NC Business Journal article on Duke’s Bad Creek Power Plant Size Doubling to 2,800 MW: https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/03/01/duke-energy-eyes-doubling-pumped-hydro-project.html
  21. Duke Energy Illumination article on Bad Creek Hydro Plant: https://illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/the-marvel-inside-the-mountain-4608936#:~:text=Because%20about%201%2C200%20feet%20separate,gravity%20to%20produce%20more%20electricity.
  22. Gas Turbine World Magazine, “The Green Hydrogen Numbers Just Do Not Add Up”, August 2022: https://gasturbineworld.com/gas-turbines-burning-green-hydrogen/
  23. Dick Storm Blog, “The End of Reliable, Affordable Energy and Electricity” Oct. 12, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/10/12/the-end-of-the-era-of-reliable-abundant-and-affordable-energy-and-electricity-part-ii/
  24. Dick Storm Blog, “The Era of Reliable, Affordable Energy and Electricity Generation, Part 1” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/10/04/the-era-of-reliable-affordable-energy-and-electricity-generation-part-1/
  25. Dick Storm Blog on “Texas Missing 6,000 MW of Coal Generation during the February 2021 Blackout”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/02/19/texas-and-coal-power-6000-mws-of-coal-plant-capacity-is-missed/
  26. Dick Storm Blog, “Wake Up Americans, Your Energy and Electricity Supply is Being Self-Sabotaged”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/20/please-wake-up-america-your-energy-and-electricity-generation-reliability-are-at-risk/
  27. Dick Storm Blog, “Without New Thinking on Nuclear Power, Net-Zero Carbon Cannot Succeed”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/11/13/without-new-thinking-on-nuclear-power-anti-carbon-climate-policy-cant-succeed/
  28. FERC-NERC Report on Winter Reliability Lessons from winter storm Elliott: https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-nerc-release-final-report-lessons-winter-storm-elliott
economic prosperity and energy, Education, Energy, Politics and Economic Prosperity, Keeping America Great, Politics & Management, Regulations

The End of the Era of Reliable, Abundant and Affordable Energy and Electricity, Part II

4 Comments

The Democrat “Green New Deal” policies to attempt to achieve Net-Zero Carbon will likely create energy and electricity shortages this coming winter and worse yet, contribute to the continuing decline of our country.

Energy: Pre-requisite for Economic Prosperity

In part 1 I discussed the path to prosperity of the U.S. during the last 80 years. America was clearly the strongest country in the world by any measure of industrial production, Intellectual advancement, science, space, aeronautics, respect in the world, the world’s largest economy, the world’s largest manufacturer of products, progress in environmental protection, freedom and ease of travel for the citizens and the building of infrastructure, including the most reliable power generation system in the world. The Grid is described by the Smithsonian Magazine as “The Greatest Machine Ever Built, the North American Power Grid“. Yes, our energy and electricity generation infrastructure was the best in the world. The government Bureaucrats in charge of our country are dismantling and wrecking “The Greatest Machine Ever Built”….plus faceless Bureaucratic Agencies in Washington are weakening the Primary energy supplies that our country, military, industries, economic progress and the sources of primary energy that citizens depend on each day. Wrecking it in plain sight.

Government Especially the Democrat Party is Self- Sabotaging America’s Energy and Electricity Generation Infrastructure

Here is a listing of 100 Executive orders compiled by the American Energy Alliance which are against the best interests of America. The EPA, Dept. of Energy, Dept of Interior, Securities and Exchange Commission and essentially all alphabet soup government agencies are weaponized against fossil fuels as part of Biden’s “War on Carbon” under the heading “Climate Change”. The policies to weaken America and including our military strength are beyond absurd, they are Un-American. Here are four posts on my blog and on LinkedIn that outline who the organizations and people are that are behind the un-American energy policies. Here, here, here and here. (6, 7, 8, 9) Disguised as “Climate Policies” they really have nothing to do with protection of human health or the environment. Then there is Dr. Euan Mearns post on WUWT , “The Energy Transition is Social Vandalism”. Here.

Remember the Oil Embargoes of the 1970’s? What comes next due to Un-American Climate Policies, will likely be Worse

During the time period 1940-2022 America made huge advancements in energy production and electricity generation. These are described in part I. Most of this era was positive growth and advancements until there was an interruption of energy supply. That was in the mid 1970’s , caused by the 1973-74 Oil Embargo. Yes, I know, that is history and a long time ago. The reason I bring it up is because the self sabotaging of American energy and electricity generation policies are likely to create more harm and suffering for the citizens than the two oil embargoes of the 1970’s. For a review of history, let me suggest reading the Federal Reserve and Office of the Historian reports. (3 & 4)

Some of the Expected Consequences of Biden’s Climate Policies

Think about your life and what you do each day, what you depend on. Electricity provides heating and cooling for our home, hot water for your shower in the morning, provides heat to cook breakfast. Then, you turn the ignition on in your car and drive to work. If you work for an industrial manufacturing company it is powered by electricity and probably natural gas. Perhaps you are planning a vacation to fly to a tropical island or ski resort. You get the picture, all of these steps we take each day are dependent on reliable, affordable energy. If you disagree with me thus far then think about the last hurricane or severe storm that killed electric power for a day or more. Think about how the loss of electricity or availability of gasoline creates hardship and changes to your life-style. I am old enough to remember the oil embargoes of the 1970’s. The oil embargoes of 1973, 1974 and 1978 caused financial distress of some of the strongest industries and businesses in our country. In my analysis, the energy crisis that is coming will be worse than what we experienced in the 1970’s. What is so alarming is, that it did not have to come to this. These policies have been implemented by (so-called) public servants and elected officials. Unfortunately the only Science that these energy and climate policy makers understand is Political Science.

Nationally Recognized Experts Weigh In

FERC is an acronym for the “Federal Energy Regulatory Commission”. One of the very respected past commissioners, Mr. Mark Christie has testified before Congress and more recently at a conference in Dallas, TX.

FERC Commissioner Mark Christie likened the current state to that of the Great Depression, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the country was facing a rendezvous with destiny.

“We’re at a very critical time … reliability means, ‘Are the lights going to stay on?’ That’s what it means to the general public,” Christie said. “Are the lights going to stay on? We’re really at a point where that’s coming into serious question. Are the lights going to stay on?

“Right now, when it comes to the reliability of our grid, the United States is facing a rendezvous with reality. Reality is just around the corner. You may think you can avoid it for a while, but reality will track you down. And reality is tracking us down when it comes to the reliability of our grid,” he added.

Testifying before the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee in May, Christie told lawmakers the grid is facing “potentially catastrophic consequences.” He said he was not trying to be melodramatic. (See Senators Praise Phillips, FERC’s Output at Oversight Hearing.)

The quote from above is from Mr. Mark Christie. Others besides him have warned of the environmental zealots in the EPA and their war on all fossil fuels. Michelle Bloodworth of America’s Power wrote an excellent article in Real Clear Energy, here. (11)

The EPA is either completely out of control or it is controlled by forces that have nefarious goals for America. Here is an example of my local electricity provider’s forecast of future electricity demand and the generation resources they “Hope” to have after 2030 when they plan to shut down several of the reliable, low cost and Dispatchable coal generating plants. Notice how in 2029 the coal generation assets drop off, yet the Demand projection continues to increase. It is a fair question to ask, why are the coal plants being shut down, if the power is needed? Why were no modern clean coal plants built since 2013? The Democrat Party’s “War on Coal is the reason. Here is an excellent report by the 114th Congress, published in 2015.(12)

Then there is the major investor owned utility to the north and one excerpt from their IRP (Integrated Resource Plan) is similar. It is copied below. Both of these Utilities are planning to shut down major coal generation that has served them and their customers well for, in Duke’s case over 100 years. Notice the figure below, this is an excerpt from the Duke Energy IRP. The coal plants, like Santee-Cooper’s have served Duke very well for many years but because of government policies of Net-Zero Carbon, they plan to shut down much of the coal generation by 2036. Interestingly, it is plainly shown as a “Firm Resource Gap”. That means less generation capacity than what is forecasted as the Demand. This is in plain sight and prepared by engineers and managers that must know better. I am perplexed as to why more managers and engineers do not speak out?

This winter(10, 11) is likely to result in more Blackouts and energy shortages. In my opinion it will be somewhat like the hardships of the 1973 Oil Embargo. This time it is our own President and Bureaucratic agencies that are causing it. Did Mark Levin get it right with his selection of the title of his recent book, “The Democrat Party Hates AMERICA“? Well right now, it looks like Mark Levin is correct, and I came to that same conclusion before his book was published back in 1998 when I first ran into EPA actions of “New Source Review” by the Clinton Administration. My previous blog post in 2021 outlined “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”here. (13) The administration of President Jimmy Carter has been criticized for decades. In my life experiences in the power industry, today Jimmy Carter looks like an American Patriot, Energy Expert and a Saint compared to Joe Biden and his administration.

Decline by Design

The influencers of American energy policies have been discussed by me and others. Some recent reports by NERC, FERC & RTO’s warn of unreliable Bulk Power Supplies in the near future. Numerous books and articles by Donn Dears, Judith Curry, the CO2 Coalition, CFACT, Ed Ireland, Robert Bryce, the Washington Examiner and many others have documented “Weaponization of the EPA” and the entire government of the Biden Administration. It is obvious to me that this is not naiveté or foolishness. It has to be intentional. I am angry that Congress has not reigned in the Executive Branch Agencies.

Conclusions

  • The high quality of life that we have come to enjoy along with a growing stock market, reasonable cost food and much more is at risk. Our future is uncertain because the President and government policy makers are self sabotaging America’s energy and electricity infrastructure.
  • The general public is not interested in pushing back and has continued to vote for Presidents, Senators and Congressional Representatives that are just as unaware of the importance of energy and electricity generation as their constituents
  • Public education on Energy and Electricity has failed
  • “Woke” Businesses and Industries have promoted Green and renewable energy when their leaders must know better but they do it to follow the “Green New Deal” cash flow
  • Congress has Delegated too Much Power to Federal Agencies and they Refuse to Reign them in. Especially the EPA
  • Given the Net-Zero Carbon Path that we are on, the Future of America’s Energy and Economic Progress is at Risk. The title of one of Donn Dears Book had it right: “Net-Zero Carbon- The Climate Policy Destroying America” Yes, it is true. The Biden Climate Policies are Destroying America.

I have believed for many years that no one should bet against America and I love America and feel as Patriotic as anyone. However, the Climate policies currently in place has our country on a very uncertain path. Energy that is Reliable, Affordable and Available when we need it is not optional…..Energy is vital to keep our country strong. Why is our government at war with the lifeblood of our country? Why isn’t Congress acting? Why are senior engineers and managers in Electric Utilities not pushing back?

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, October 12, 2023

References:

  1. RTO Conference report by RTO Insider, “Rendezvous With Destiny”, Dallas, TX, Sept. 11, 2023: https://www.rtoinsider.com/55069-grid-rendezvous-reality-resource-adequacy-summit/
  2. Mark R. Levin’s book, “The Democrat Party Hates America” 2023, Threshold Editions
  3. Federal Reserve Report on 1973-74 Oil Embargo: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/oil-shock-of-1973-74
  4. 1973-1974 Oil Embargo History, Arab-Israel War: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/oil-embargo
  5. American Energy Alliance listing of 100 Executive Orders that harm Oil and Gas production in the U.S. : https://www.americanenergyalliance.org/2022/05/100-ways-biden-and-the-democrats-have-made-it-harder-to-produce-oil-gas/
  6. Dick Storm Blog post, “Wake Up Americans”: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/20/please-wake-up-america-your-energy-and-electricity-generation-reliability-are-at-risk/
  7. Dick Storm Columbus Energy Forum (ENERUM) presentation, August 2022:  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_presentation-and-speakers-notes-from-august-activity-7068650158862827520-B-_W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktophttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7056884647858765824?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7056884647858765824%29
  8. Dick Storm Blog, January 2023, “Influencers of U.S. Energy Policy” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/01/04/influencers-of-american-energy-policy/
  9. Dick Storm Blog, “Green Energy Crisis, Part 2, Meet the Policy Makers that Caused It” June 2023″: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/06/14/green-energy-crisis-part-2-meet-the-policy-makers-that-caused-it/
  10. NERC 2022-2023 Winter Assessment: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_WRA_2022.pdf
  11. RealClearEnergy, by Michelle Blodworth, Oct. 6, 2023 “A Precipitous Dash to Grid Reliability Crisis” ; https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2023/10/06/a_precipitous_dash_to_a_grid_reliability_crisis_984481.html
  12. Obama’s Carbon Mandate, Report by 114th Congress on the Revolving Door Employment of Bureaucrats in High Government Positions: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  13. Dick Storm Blog, “How the War on Carbon Came to Be” Oct. 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  14. Books by Donn Dears: “Net Zero Carbon- The Climate Policy Destroying America”, “The Looming Energy Crisis”, “Clean Power Crisis” and “Have No Fear”
  15. Dick Storm Blog post, Oct. 4, 2023: “THE ERA OF RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE, ENERGY AND ELECTRICITY GENERATION: PART 1” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/10/04/the-era-of-reliable-affordable-energy-and-electricity-generation-part-1/
  16. WUWT post by Dr. Euan Mearns, “The Energy Transition is Social Vandalism”: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/10/03/the-energy-transition-is-social-vandalism/
  17. Ed Ireland Sub Stack on ERCOT Vows to Fight the EPA Plans to Shut Down Texas Coal Plants: https://open.substack.com/pub/edireland/p/texas-vows-to-fight-epas-plans-to?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
  18. CFACT website with numerous articles on Energy and Climate Policies: https://www.cfact.org
  19. Statistics Norway Report on Climate, October 2023: https://www.ssb.no/en/natur-og-miljo/forurensning-og-klima/artikler/to-what-extent-are-temperature-levels-changing-due-to-greenhouse-gas-emissions/_/attachment/inline/5a3f4a9b-3bc3-4988-9579-9fea82944264:f63064594b9225f9d7dc458b0b70a646baec3339/DP1007.pdf
  20. Follow the Climate Money, Post by Ron Clutz, October 21, 2023: https://rclutz.com/2023/10/19/follow-the-climate-money-updated/#like-33509
  21. Green Hydrogen Needs Vast Subsidies of Your Money: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/10/19/green-hydrogen-needs-vast-subsidies/
  22. WSJ, The Green Electrical Grid Isn’t Coming, Oct. 21, 2023: https://www.wsj.com/articles/international-energy-agency-green-energy-transmission-lines-co2-26f9cfa?mod=opinion_lead_pos2
Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy, Electricity, Economic Prosperity and Environmental Protection, Fossil Fuels are Important, Personal Experiences of Coal Plants and Industrial Expansion

The Era of Reliable, Affordable, Energy and Electricity Generation: Part 1

1 Comment

This is my Perspective of Proven, Reliable, Affordable & Abundant Energy & Electricity Generation during my lifetime. Here are some of the significant technical advances, changes, regulations, incidents, events and policies that have shaped energy and power generation over the last eight decades. Some personal experiences are interjected during this era just to show where I am coming from in my perspective. Part 2 will cover my thoughts on the impossible transition to renewables.

A Brief History of the Improved Quality of Life Since WWII

Dr. Euan Mearns wrote in WUWT this short summary of the history of energy and the “Energy Transition as Social Vandalism”(19). An excerpt from the concise and well written essay:

“The mid 19th century also saw the development of early internal combustion engines, although at that time there was insufficient fuel for a motor industry. The Spindletop gusher and subsequent discoveries changed all that. The world was now awash with oil without any real market. Then in 1908, Henry Ford rolled out his Model T to begin the age of the car and mass transit. The Wright brothers’ first powered flight in 1908 led quickly to commercial air travel and eventually to the jet age.

Unparalleled development came with the 20th century and the introduction of nuclear power plants whose uranium fuel contains more than 16,000 times the energy content of coal, oil and natural gas. At the same time, hydroelectric power rapidly expanded and natural gas (the most energy dense of the fossil fuels by mass) became more available for electricity generation and home heating and cooking.

The introduction of gas-fired central heating enhanced the well-being of populations. Whole homes would be heated by hot-water radiators, and no longer would families have to huddle round a dirty coal fire. By 2000, life expectancy in world population had risen to 66 years, 78 years in the now developed countries.”

Looking back, I am awed by the progress that was made for the Betterment of the quality of life for Humankind. I am proud of my small contributions along the way.

Some of the Significant Energy & Electricity Mileposts: 1940-2023

  • Pulverized coal firing for steam generation becomes the predominant method of power generation
  • Mechanical dust collectors are used for collection of particulates
  • 1941 B&W invents and develops Cyclone Burners to fire low fusion midwestern coal with more than 70% of the ash collected as a molten smelt
  • 1943 Combustion-Engineering invents and develops Tilting Tangential Firing
  • Electrostatic precipitators are applied to large coal plants
  • 1949 First G-E Gas Turbine for electric power generation in the U.S. installed at Oklahoma Gas & Electric Belle Isle Plant
  • 1951 U.S. Navy Admiral Rickover obtains funding from Congress to build the first nuclear powered submarine, Nautilus
  • 1953 President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative
  • Supercritical pressure steam generators become common place
  • 1955 USS Nautilus puts to sea
  • 1955 First “Atoms for Peace Conference” in Geneva
  • Steam temperatures and power generation from Rankine cycle steam plant efficiency approaches 40% design efficiency
  • 1957 Shippingport Nuclear Steam System, the first U.S. Commercial Reactor is proven
  • 1957-59 Philo and Eddystone Ultrasupercritical Units are placed in service
  • 1970 – President Nixon signs law to form EPA
  • Coal pulverizer state of the art advances to single pulverizers with over 100,000 pounds per hour capacity
  • 1973 First Oil Embargo
  • 1977 U.S. Department of Energy is formed with the intention to lead America to energy independence
  • The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is begun
  • 1978 EPA Clean Air Act
  • 1978 President Jimmy Carter signs Energy Policy Act
  • 1979 Three Mile Island Incident
  • 1980 Energy Security Act
  • 1988 G-E Single Cycle Aeroderivative Gas Turbine achieves 41.9% efficiency
  • 1990 EPA-Clean Air Act Amendment
  • 1991-First Horizontal Drilling by Enid Company in OK
  • Low NOx Burners or other NOx reduction systems are installed on most coal plants across the U.S.
  • Flue gas desulfurization becomes standard for coal plants
  • Selective Catalytic Reactors are used to reduce NOx
  • 2010 Hydraulic Fracturing combined with Directional Drilling by Harold Hamm’s company greatly increases shale gas production in ND
  • 2012 The Shale Gas Revolution produces natural gas at lower cost/million Btu than coal
  • 2014 CCGT (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine) units achieve over 60% efficiency
  • 2018 G-E CCGT (Combined CycleGas Turbine) Reaches 64% Efficiency
  • 2020 Natural gas electricity generation provides over 38% of U.S. electricity production
  • 2022 U.S. Congress passes IRA Law and Biden signs, it codifies green energy

Reasonable Cost Energy & Electricity Improves Quality of Life

This is a personal story of electricity generation. Here is my take on how “Living Better Electrically” came to be, during my lifetime. Here is a typical TV ad from circa 1962, the year I entered the workforce.

Electricity Generation 1962-2012 Living Better Electrically

This 50 year period was my personal career, most of which I spent working in the electric power generation business. Including equipment design, manufacturing, startup, testing, operations, maintenance, emissions reduction and upgrading of coal power production equipment. My specialty was large electric utility fuel burning and steam generating equipment. Upon graduation from Williamson in 1962 I was employed as an electrician then as a utility engineer at Mobil Oil Corporation. In 1966 I joined Babcock & Wilcox working in Barberton, Ohio as a Technical Assistant to the Project Engineer in the Nuclear and Special Projects Department. Projects that I worked on as part of the B&W team were the Duke Oconee Nuclear Steam Systems, numerous reactors, steam generators and pressurizers for Navy Nuclear Propulsion Systems and large heavy walled, high pressure, pressure vessels for the Petrochemical industry.

Duke, Oconee #1 Reactor Vessel at B&W Shop in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, from Duke Annual Report 1967

In the 1960’s electricity was very reasonable in cost and nuclear power was proclaimed by the AEC Head (Atomic Energy Commission) Lewis Strauss as soon to be “Too Cheap to Meter”. Commercial nuclear power generation had been proven at Shippingport and was growing exponentially in applications all across the country. The two most memorable engineering leaders that I remember visiting B&W’s Barberton facilities (while I worked there) were Admiral Rickover, the Father of the nuclear Navy and commercial nuclear power generation and Bill Lee, who at the time, was Duke Power Company’s VP of engineering. Mr. Lee was said to have favored the B&W Nuclear Steam System because it was slightly more efficient with the Once through Steam Generator providing a small amount of superheat that competing NSS (Nuclear Steam Systems) did not provide, to the steam supply to the turbine. Duke Power at the time, had commissioned some of the most efficient coal plants in the world and planned to extract the highest possible efficiency from their first nuclear powered steam supply system. This was logical to Mr. Lee and one reason he was attracted to the new B&W OTSG (Once Through Steam Generator) which was designed for a few degrees of superheated steam temperature. My previous blog post discussed the B&W, C-E and Westinghouse nuclear power manufacturing facilities here.

The Most Efficient and Largest Supercritical Coal Power Plants Built 1957-1975

The 1960’s were exciting times for coal fueled power plants too. Two Milestone supercritical power plants were built and started up during this time. The 5,000 psi Eddystone Steam Station (Philadelphia Electric) with a steam generator built by Combustion Engineering and the 4,700 psi Philo Plant (AEP) steam generator was built by Babcock & Wilcox.

Soon after these magnificent accomplishments was the 900 MW Combustion Engineering series of supercritical steam generators at Conemaugh & Keystone plants in western PA. Then the 1,300 MW supercritical steam generators built by B&W for AEP and TVA. Certainly impressive to me at the time with furnaces over 100 foot wide and operation at over 3,500 psi with superheated main steam at 1,000 degrees F. and also Reheated steam supply to 1,000 degrees F.

Duke Power designed, installed, operated and maintained the most efficient coal plants in the world with the additions of Marshall Units 3 & 4 on Lake Norman in 1969 and 1970.

Later, the Belews Creek coal plant was installed and between Marshall and Belews Creek competed for the highest efficiency coal plants in the U.S. Belews Creek Steam Station is a 2.24-GW, two-unit coal-fired generating facility located on Belews Lake in Stokes County, North Carolina. It is or was  Duke Energy’s largest coal-burning power plant in the Carolinas and when it was operated on coal it ranked among the most efficient coal facilities in the United States. During 2006, it was the fifth most efficient coal power plant in the United States with a heat rate of 9,023 Btu/kWh (37.8% conversion efficiency). In 2008, it was the #1 most efficient coal power plant in the United States with a heat rate of 9,204 British thermal units per kilowatt-hour (2.697 kWh/kWh) or 37.1% conversion efficiency.

A Few of My Personal Experiences with Coal Plants in the 1970’s

My first foray into S.C. was as one of three startup engineers for the SCE&G Wateree coal plant in Eastover, SC. This is a coal fueled, two unit supercritical steam supply plant which uses two Riley Stoker supercritical steam generators. These are the only two supercritical steam generators built by Riley. They have been very successful and in fact, at this writing are still in service 53 years after the startup of Unit #1. After that in 1972 I was assigned as lead startup engineer at the 420 MW Sutton Unit #3 near Wilmington ,NC. This plant is shown below during steam line blowing in June 1972. Steam line blowing was one of my favorite activities in the startup of a new plant. The roar of the exiting steam at supersonic velocity was memorable and provided a sense of the enormous power of steam. Steam line blowing is a one time startup operation to remove grit and foreign debris from inside the superheater and reheater tubes and piping, so that when operation begins, solid particles of debris will not damage the steam turbine blades.

Following the startup of Sutton #3, in January 1973 I joined Carolina Power and Light Company as a senior engineer. My first assignment was as the lead startup engineer on Roxboro Unit #3. This is a 720 MW coal Unit with a unique design of two half capacity boilers and one common feedwater supply train with a blended single stream steam supply to one G-E 720 MW turbine rated at 2,400 psi 1,000 degree F. Superheat and 1,000 degree F. Reheated steam to the last 13 stages of the turbine. The Roxboro plant is shown below in a recent photo by Duke Energy. This plant was started up as CP&L and was later absorbed to be part of Duke Energy.

Reasonable Cost, Abundant, Reliable and Dispatchable Coal and Nuclear Provide the lowest Cost Electricity in the World

The Roxboro plant is still in operation and it is rated at 2462 MW generation capacity. Let me digress with a short anecdote. Back in the time frame of about 1975 I was involved in an ASME meeting in Niagara Falls, NY. As part of the group, we were given a tour of the Niagara Falls Hydro plant on the U.S. side of the river downstream of the falls. I was struck at the time with the realization that all of the water feeding several of the Great Lakes provides (on the U.S. side) about the same generation capacity as the Roxboro Thermal Plant did. A real world lesson in “Energy Density”. Roxboro’s four units are rated 2,462 MW, the Robert Moses Hydroelectric plant 2,300 MW. This comparison is one I find helpful when non-energy trained people ask why are coal plants necessary? It helps to explain the enormous energy density of a coal fueled power plant.

Niagara Falls, Robert Moses Hydroelectric Plant, about five miles downstream of Niagara Falls, From NY Power Authority website

Fuel Diversity Helps Keep Costs Down, All Fuels Are Important

I joined Riley Stoker in 1969 and worked at Tampa Electric on the final acceptance work of the Gannon Station Units 5 & 6. Then on to the SCE&G Waterree plant for the startup of Riley’s first and only supercritical steam generator. Wateree is still running today and it was very successful. After startup of Wateree #1, I was sent to the City of Lakeland, Florida to finish the startup of the 80 MW oil and gas fueled Power Plant #3 (now named McIntosh) The unique and difficult design of this unit was that it was a stand alone, single unit with no steam connections to another unit. It was fueled by heavy oil, #6 or also known as Bunker C. The oil required heating to about 220 degrees F. to reduce the viscosity for satisfactory atomization and complete burning in the furnace. Because there was no gas or steam connections, the startup entailed firing on Diesel fuel until the boiler had at least 1000 psi drum pressure. Then the stored energy of the boiler would be used to heat and circulate oil from the Heavy oil supply tank. It sounds simple enough, however when the new controls and safety interlocks were all in startup mode, unproven and with numerous glitches, steam pressure would be lost and the operation on diesel fuel would need to be repeated. Any field engineer with experience in oil firing Utility boilers knows the importance of steam or compressed air cleaning of the Ljungstrom regenerative air heaters to prevent fires. That is the reason I was sent to Lakeland. The previous startup engineer was not careful about airheater cleaning and both airheaters were destroyed by fires. I was sent to replace that unfortunate startup engineer.

Oil firing was common in the 1970’s because it was competitive with coal at $0.50/million Btu. After Lakeland I was sent to lead the startup of Jacksonville Electric Authority’s Northside #2. A 325 MW heavy oil fueled boiler. Then off to CP&L Sutton #3, a 420 MW fueled at startup with heavy oil and with provisions for future coal fuel. America’s power demand was rapidly growing, especially in the south where air conditioning and heat pumps were taking off in popularity. As I recall peak load growth was about 10% per year. To illustrate the rapid growth in electric demand, here is my recollection of the units added at CP&L over a five year period:

  • Robinson #2, 700 MW, 1970 (Nuclear)
  • Asheville Unit #2, 200 MW, 1971 (coal)
  • Sutton Unit #3, 420 MW , 1972 (coal/oil)
  • Roxboro Unit #3, 720MW, 1973 (coal)
  • Brunswick Unit #1, 836 MW, 1975 (nuclear)

During this time period (1970-1977) CP&L was a regional Utility separate from Duke Energy. The total installed capacity of CP&L back during this time was about 6,000 MW. Therefore, the rapid system load growth is illustrated by the addition of five generating units totaling 2,876 MW in generation capacity in just five years. It was a great time to be involved in the power industry… And then came the Oil Embargo and some difficult times for the industry.

City of Lakeland, Power Plant #3, Now there are three Units, including a 360 MW coal unit #3. Picture by Dick Storm about 1971

During 1973 the U.S. government supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War between Israel and the Arab nations.

At the time of the first oil embargo, 1973-1974, the EPA had been creating needed air pollution rules to reduce emissions from coal fueled power plants. Amongst the first pollutants to be addressed, was particulates. Before the Oil Embargo coal cost and oil cost per million Btus was about the same, right at $0.50 per million Btu. Therefore to reduce emissions fast, Utilities had an economic choice of converting coal plants to oil fuel which has nearly zero ash content or install millions of dollars of backend equipment, including electrostatic precipitators. Carolina Power and Light Company took the path of installing electrostatic precipitators on the newest units (Asheville #2, Sutton #3 and Roxboro #3) and converting the older, smaller coal units to being fueled by oil. Many utilities to the north, including VEPCO, PEPCO, Philadelphia Electric and others, chose the fuel oil conversion route to reduce particulates with less capital cost than installing electrostatic precipitators. This could be done with much lower costs to the consumer because the coal and heavy oil costs were about the same on the fuel cost/million BTU. About $0.50/mmb. Fuel cost is the largest single component of electricity production cost. Comprising between 75 and 92% of the production cost. Thus, when fuel costs escalate, so does the electricity production cost increase.

The Oil Embargo made an immediate fuel supply shortage for all petroleum products and including residual #6 heavy fuel oil. This is when, in my recollections, that major “Wheeling of Power” across state lines became common. The Utilities in the states to the north of CP&L were; VEPCO, PEPCO, Delmarva and Philadelphia Electric. They could receive coal generated electricity from Duke Power, CP&L and other southern Utilities across state lines using existing Transmission interconnections by wheeling power. This was before RTO’s (Regional Transmission Operators) were created.

The 1973-1980 time frame was difficult for Utilities and some had to cut once reliable dividends to stockholders and some went Bankrupt (Consolidated Edison in NY had a particularly difficult time) due to the volatile fuel costs.

National Energy Act of 1978

The energy shock of the oil embargo prompted Congress and the President to act on energy policy. Also during this time the Alaska Pipeline was approved and built(15). Jimmy Carter signed the first Energy Act in 1978.

America’s electricity supply has remained reliable and of reasonable cost for all of my lifetime. Below is a chart of world electricity prices in 2009 which shows the comparison of U.S. electricity prices to other industrialized countries of the world.

Shown on the chart of electricity costs above is Denmark and the Netherlands which were two of the first countries to implement wind farms for significant portions of their power generation.

America up to about 2012 used coal fuel for over 50% of our electricity production. Reasonable cost, reliable, abundant and dispatchable coal, generation powered the largest economy in the world. Reasonable cost electricity and GDP tend to parallel each other as shown on the graph below.

Coal Plant Efficiency Rankings

Up until the war on coal, coal plant designers, operators and maintenance personnel took pride in striving for the best overall efficiency. The best yearly coal plant efficiencies were typically from well run supercritical steam pressure units. Duke Power, PEPCO and AEP typically held the top positions. Duke Power’s Marshall and Belews Creek had repeatedly good years. Here is a typical ranking from 2013, Power Engineering Magazine:

I personally remember many meetings with Utility engineering management where the topic of discussion was modifications to the boilers and fuel burning equipment so that fuel changes could be made to reduce the production costs of power and at the same time, reduce emissions. One fuel change that was popular in the 1990’s was to convert coal plants designed for eastern Bituminous coal to fire western Powder River Basin fuel. This reduced emissions of NOx and kept production cost of power reasonable.

The Shale Gas Revolution

The combination of Hydraulic fracturing and Directional Drilling created an enormously large boost in U.S. natural gas production beginning about 2012. Natural gas prices at the Henry Hub dropped from a high of over $12.00/million BTU to about $2.00/million BTU in 2012. This abundance of natural gas fuel at this price, was competitive with well run, efficient coal plants. Then, the E.P.A. ramped up restrictions on coal plant emissions but the consumer was insulated from electricity price hikes because many natural gas CCGT (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine) plants were being built and fuel diversity allowed the Utilities to switch generation from coal plants to new, highly efficient CCGT generating units.

The vastly increased supply of natural gas drove the price of gas down to below the cost of coal on a unit heating value basis. Gas dropped to below $2.00 per million Btu. Also during this time period, gas turbine-combined cycle plant efficiencies increased to the range of 60%. Power generation efficiencies over the years is shown on the graph below. The combination of low cost natural gas and enormous efficiency advantage of CCGT plants greatly increased the use of natural gas fuel for power generation. Keep in mind, the advantage of natural gas fuel is only an advantage when there are pipelines to provide the fuel and there is an abundant natural gas supply. This does not work well in all states, such as Massachusetts and Hawaii.

The combinations of low fuel cost, low Capital cost, low environmental emissions controls cost and greatly increased efficiency together made natural gas fuel more economically attractive than coal for new generating plants. The fuel of choice became natural gas for Utilities that had pipelines and sources of natural gas fuel. Coal fuel accounted for 50% of electricity generation in 2004 but was reduced to 23% by the increased use of more economical natural gas by 2019.

Duke Energy, Buck Station CCGT Plant

America is Blessed with Enormous Energy and Mineral Resources

America has plenty of Coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fuels to power our economy and our life styles. I have written other blog posts on the relationship of energy and economic prosperity. Specifically, our lifestyles and our industrial production requires on average, about 315 +/- 15 million Btus of energy each year per person This equates to about 100 Quadrillion Btus of energy per year for our country. This level of energy requirement has held steady for about twenty five years. More on the need for 100 Quads of energy/year are here, here, here and here (20, 21, 22, 23) . Up until the manufactured climate hoax and war on carbon, America enjoyed reasonable cost, reliable electricity and also gasoline, Diesel and Jet Fuel supplies. America became energy independent in 2020.

Energy Growth and Clean Air Too!

Protection of the environment is important to all of us, including me. In fact, much of my career was invested in improving efficiency and reducing emissions of coal generating plants. There has been steady progress in cleaning the air and water of the U.S. and I would be remiss if I did not show that during the preceding eight decades in spite of population growth, increases in the number of miles driven and the growth of the economy, the real pollutants have been drastically reduced from the levels of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s. The chart below was prepared by the EPA.

Two of the Last Clean Coal Plants Built in America

Coal plants are robust, reliable and when properly maintained can run safely and reliably for over fifty years. Several of the plants that I have personal experience with were mentioned above. However, newer designs with greater efficiency and improved emission controls should be built to replace the aging plants. In 2008 there were plans for dozens of new, clean coal plants to be built. Two magnificent examples are the John Turk Plant and the (then called Cliffside) #6 Unit at Rogers Energy Center in S.C.

Duke’s Rogers Energy Center Unit #6 Startup 2013
AEP-John Turk Plant, Arkansas

Example of Many New Coal & Nuclear Plants, Planned and Should Have Been Built 2012-2022

Santee-Cooper Pee Dee Plant, Planned to Be Built near Florence, SC

The Pee Dee Energy Center is one example of dozens of new, clean, efficient coal plants that were planned but cancelled due to political pressure of the environmental activists. I predict that these plants will be sorely missed during the winter peak power generation periods in December 2023 and January 2024. So will the Summer Nuclear Units #2 & 3 be missed.

Slide of Summer 2 & 3 and Vogtle Plant Construction from Dick Storm USCB-OLLI Course

Summary

My contribution to the progress made in the last 80 years was very modest and I will quickly admit that. However, because I worked with many talented and visionary engineers and in hundreds of generating plants around the world, I had a very good position to observe the progress of the giants in our industry. Engineers with a Vision of abundant, clean and reasonable cost electricity generation. To mention a few of these giants: Admiral Hyman Rickover, Bill Lee of Duke Power, Mendall Long of CP&L, Bill McCall of Santee-Cooper and many more fine engineers like them. What were their goals? To improve the quality of life, security, safety, economic growth, ensure that reasonable cost power could be produced for decades into the future, provide Bulk Power at the lowest possible cost to attract industry, increase industrial output, provide good paying jobs in their service territory, and design power plants that provide environmental protection for all of the citizens.

During the last 80 years nuclear power became a reality and today about 19% of our electricity is generated from clean, carbon free nuclear power plants. Many are now over fifty years old, but still reliable and inexpensive producers of vital electricity.

Natural gas generation has progressed from the first simple cycle unit built by G-E in 1949 at about 25% efficiency to today’s combined cycle gas turbine plants that at optimum load points can operate at over 60% thermal efficiency. They are amongst the most efficient machines ever built, of any kind.

Ultra-supercritical, clean coal plants such as Turk and Rogers #6 have been developed to provide reliable, reasonable cost, clean and importantly, Dispatchable power generation. There should have been built more like these Why? Because fuel diversity is important when one fuel becomes short in supply. For example, the 1973-74 Oil Embargo. Today most of the Dispatchable electricity generation is from natural gas which of course, flows through pipelines. Pipelines are reliable but, fuel storage is not practical. Coal plants, on the other hand, can store several months fuel supply on site.

Fuel Diversity is important for electricity generation reliability. I am proud to have worked during these years to do my best to make a small contribution to the great progress that was accomplished.

Part 2 will describe the self induced end of reliability, affordability and dispatch ability of electricity generation. As Dr. Euan Mearns recently wrote in “Watts Up With That”….The “Energy Transition is Social Vandalism”(19)

It is my best hope that America and our politicians will wake up and understand the importance of primary energy from conventional sources.

Yours very truly,

Dick Storm, October 4, 2023

References

  1. You Tube video of a “Living Better Electrically” ad hosted by Ronald Reagan, who was with the G-E Theater on Sunday nights for 8 years 1953-1962: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Lz1C53RwI
  2. NY Power Authority Facts on Robert Moses Hydroelectric Plant at Niagara Falls: https://www.niagarafallsinfo.com/niagara-falls-history/niagara-falls-power-development/the-history-of-power-development-in-niagara/robert-moses-generating-station/
  3. Duke Energy Roxboro Plant Info: https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/power-plants/roxboro-plant
  4. Duke Power Belews Creek Plant Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belews_Creek_Power_Station
  5. 1973-1974 Oil Embargo History, Arab-Israel War: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/oil-embargo
  6. 1973 Oil Embargo by Federal Reserve: https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/oil-shock-of-1973-74
  7. Duke Power References of Oconee & Marshall Steam Plant Annual Report 1967: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1526/ML15261A046.pdf
  8. Power Magazine Feature article on the Top Plant, Duke’s Cliffside #6 which started up in 2013. The last new coal plant I can remember being commissioned for commercial service in the U.S. : https://www.powermag.com/cliffside-steam-station-unit-6-cliffside-north-carolina/
  9. Scientific American, March 2023, “Seven Ways Jimmy Carter Improved U.S. Energy Future, or At Least Tried to” : https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/7-ways-jimmy-carter-has-improved-americas-energy-future-or-tried-to/
  10. Power Magazine article on High Efficiency Gas Turbine Developments, 2018: https://www.powermag.com/efficiency-improvements-mark-advances-in-gas-turbines/
  11. POWER Magazine article on the History of Gas Turbines for Electricity generation: https://www.powermag.com/a-brief-history-of-ge-gas-turbines-2/
  12. Politico, 2015 article “Inside the War on Coal”: https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002/
  13. Obama’s War on Coal 2008 article in Townhall: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/conncarroll/2014/04/01/obamas-war-on-coal-n1817140
  14. Explanation of Directional Drilling for Hydraulic Fracturing and production of Shale Gas, Drillers.com: https://drillers.com/directional-drilling-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know/
  15. National Energy Act of 1978, Energy Policy Act and PURPA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Energy_Act
  16. History of the Alaska Pipeline by the American Oil & Gas History Society: https://aoghs.org/transportation/trans-alaska-pipeline/#:~:text=Oil%20was%20first%20discovered%20in,renewed%20in%20November%20of%202002.
  17. New York Times, May 10, 1974, Con-Edison Declares it may go Bankrupt without help, due to Oil Embargo fuel cost escalations: https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/10/archives/con-edison-says-it-faces-bankruptcy-without-help-con-ed-says-it-is.html
  18. Congressional Report on Financial Condition of Utilities, 1970-1986: https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/99th-congress-1985-1986/reports/doc10b-entire_1.pdf
  19. WUWT, Oct. 3, 2023, “Energy Transition is Social Vandalism” :https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/10/03/the-energy-transition-is-social-vandalism/
  20. America Needs about 100 Quadrillion Btus of PRIMARY energy each year: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/16/back-to-basics-the-u-s-needs-100-quadrillion-btus-year-of-primary-energy/
  21. Energy=Life as We Know and Enjoy it: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/08/22/energy-life-that-is-life-as-we-enjoy-it/  
  22. Energizing the Public to Understand the Importance of Primary Energy: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/03/20/educating-and-energizing-the-public-on-energy-policy-and-the-impossibility-of-powering-america-with-wind-and-solar/
  23. Energy and Economic Prosperity: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/11/18/energy-and-economic-prosperity-2/
  24. Wake Up America:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/09/21/please-wake-up-america-your-energy-and-electricity-generation-reliability-are-at-risk/
  25. Dick Storm ENERUM, August 2022 presentation:  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/richard-storm-00557810_presentation-and-speakers-notes-from-august-activity-7068650158862827520-B-_W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktophttps://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7056884647858765824?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7056884647858765824%29