To Achieve American Energy Dominance, Trump Must Avoid ‘All-of-the-Above’ Rhetoric
My latest at RealClear Energy.
Reposted from RealClear Energy | By André Béliveau , Gabriella Hoffman
A four-word phrase has become the latest trend in conservative energy policy: “all of the above” (AOTA). This approach claims to embrace all forms of energy, from renewables to hydrocarbons and nuclear.
Instead of relying on this vague but well-intentioned slogan, lawmakers should follow Energy Secretary-designate Chris Wright’s lead by promoting an energy plan centered on four different words: “affordable, reliable, and secure.”
Those words will be key to American energy dominance.
AOTA is a hollow talking point that could enable the current “net-zero” energy doctrine, focusing on carbon emissions targets rather than reliability, affordability, and security. It makes energy policy climate-centric rather than people-first and ignores the realities of the electrical system and the needs of modern life.
Attempting to appeal to moderate audiences, green-minded energy wonks use AOTA language as a sleight of hand. They aim to rally support for initiatives that typically result in “green” or “clean” energy boondoggles, including overbuilding intermittent energy sources, such as wind and solar, at a utility-scale.
Yet, without favorable weather conditions, wind and solar falter. Relying on constant sunshine or predictable breezes, solar and wind aren’t dispatchable, meaning they can’t be easily turned on and off to meet peak grid demands. Solar functions only 24.9% of the time, compared to 34.5% for wind. Battery technology could solve this problem, but the existing technology simply can’t meet the current demand.
Moreover, solar and wind rely heavily on subsidies. By 2031, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will provide upwards of $1.2 trillion in green energy subsidies. Ironically, these subsidies can harm the renewable sources they purport to help. For instance, the inflation wrought by the IRA has caused many solar companies to go belly up.
“Green” energy advocates wrongfully suggest that the time to phase out carbon-emitting energy is upon us. However, we cannot swap coal plants with wind farms without tremendous expense and risk. Instead, we need more baseload and dispatchable power—the energy sources that provide the bare minimum, around-the-clock supply that the grid needs at any given time and those that can be peaked to meet high demand—such as nuclear and natural gas. Wind and solar are neither baseload nor dispatchable, so swapping them for existing infrastructure is a fool’s errand.
Excellent reasoning. How do we get this to the new administration??