Opinions
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Impact on Economy
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A recent study by respected energy economist Gerry Angevine for the Fraser Institute found that Ontario residents will pay an average of $285 million more for electricity each year for the next 20 years as a result of subsidies to renewable energy companies. ...Even more alarming for the province's economic competitiveness, businesses and industrial customers will be hit by almost $12 billion in additional costs over the same period.
Also filed under [
Canada]
More jobs promoting green energy than actually making green energy
March 31, 2012 in Kennebec Journal
March 31, 2012 in Kennebec Journal
The largest green-job producers within manufacturing are steel mills. Over 50 percent of all jobs in steel mills are counted as green -- not because the steel goes to make green products, but because most of our steel is made from scrap steel.
That's right; most of our steel is recycled steel. And according Part 3 of the BLS definition, if you recycle, your job is green.
Also filed under [
USA]
There's a line on corporate energy bills called the "Global Adjustment." It's that line that pays for renewable energy projects.
Spencer's seen the GA soar over the past few years -- from 5% of his bill to 42%.
In his most recent report, provincial Auditor-General Jim McCarter warned that by 2014, the Global Adjustment is expected to be six cents per kilowatt hour -- nearly two-thirds of the total electricity charge.
Also filed under [
Canada]
Among too many political leaders, the argument that carbon-free energy is as much — or more — about “green jobs” as it is about addressing global warming has turned from a politically expedient talking point into an economically dubious article of faith. Confusing the goals of clean energy leads politicians to saddle their states with expensive policies, such as Mr. O’Malley’s green-power protectionism, instead of seeking to secure the best deal for electricity consumers and the environment.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Maryland]
Last month, however, the Department of Labor's inspector general conducted an audit that found, as of June 30 with one-third of the funds spent and more than 50,000 participants, that only 10 percent of trainees were placed in jobs. And only 1,336 participants (or 2 percent) had held jobs for six months or longer.
Also filed under [
USA]
It was pretty clear all along that building a wind farm in the waters of Lake Erie or Lake Ontario would be way too expensive.
What we didn't know until last week was that it wouldn't just be way too expensive: It would have been a boondoggle of epic proportions.
Twenty-four-cent wind power would more than double the electric bills of tens of millions of Americans. But Obama and the liberals don't care about what would amount to a gigantic new tax on families who are far from the millionaires the president claims he wants to hurt.
Also filed under [
USA|
Massachusetts]
This is one of the things that really rather annoys me, has done for years. All these people telling us that green jobs, creating green jobs, is going to be the salvation of our economy.
Then again, the Obama administration's entire green-jobs initiative has been a massive boondoggle.
As The New York Times reported last month, Obama's grand plan to create 5 million green jobs over 10 years has turned into an enormous "pipe dream."
Also filed under [
USA]
Apart from anything else, by 2020 our Government expects us to pay £100 billion for a further 10,000 useless, subsidised windmills, plus £40 billion to connect them to the National Grid. These costs alone would almost double our present electricity bills.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
UK]
"The U.S. should expect a loss of at least 2.2 jobs on average" for every one created should it continue down the same investment path as Spain. We have, and if Spain remains our role model for creating "green jobs," as suggested by President Obama, then expect to see our renewable bubble burst in a couple of years with similar results.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Europe]
A new study called "Worth The Candle?" by the consulting firm Verso Economics confirms the experience of Spain and other countries: The creation of "green" jobs destroys other jobs through the diversion of resources and the denial of abundant sources of fossil fuel energy.
Also filed under [
Europe]
From smart meters, to the Green Energy Act, to the Samsung subsidy, electricity bills are skyrocketing. When you add in the impact of the HST and other rate increases, the annual cost of electricity bills for Ontario families is set to increase by another $732 per year by 2015, according to the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
Premier McGuinty is running Ontario's hydro system in a way that is unsustainable.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Canada]
Green energy is all the rage, and Ohio is jumping on the bandwagon with little regard for financial considerations. The proposed offshore wind turbine project in Lake Erie is an example of wasteful spending in the name of going green and creating jobs.
Also filed under [
Ohio]
Europe's energy consumers must pay 20 cents per kWh generated, plus an additional 5 cents per kWh for transmission costs. They must pay this regardless of whether they need the electricity at the moment, and despite the fact that a kWh of wind electricity is worth less than 3 cents on the Leipzig Power Exchange, due to the intermittent and highly variable nature of wind.
The green campaign wastes scarce and precious technological and entrepreneurial resources indispensable to the nation's future. Now it is debauching America's most precious venture assets. It must be defeated, not appeased.
Also filed under [
USA|
California]
Outside of manufacturing, wind jobs are not so much in demand. One example: on the new Prairie Wind development near Minot, N.D., there are 77 turbines but the project requires just eight operations and maintenance employees, or about one for every 14 megawatts. As a job-creator, wind proponents themselves admit that coal plants put many more people to work.
Also filed under [
Minnesota]
Cape Wind - composed of unnecessary rate hikes, sweetheart deals and hidden costs - has been disguised by a clean, green energy cloak, camouflage enough to fool any environmentally conscious consumer into thinking that if it looks green, it must be good.
Cape Wind is not good for Massachusetts.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Massachusetts]
Going back to 2003, based on numbers dug up by consultant Tom Adams, the price of residential electricity in Ontario hovered around 8.5¢ a kWh in 2003 - the first year of the McGuinty Liberal regime. By 2015, Aegent Energy estimates the price will be up to 21¢, an increase of 135%. Doubling the price of electricity in a decade is no way to spur growth and investment.
Also filed under [
Energy Policy|
Canada]
DPU concluded hearings Friday on a proposal that would add $1 billion to the electric bills of National Grid customers to pay for Cape Wind, even though the utility could have purchased less expensive renewable power from other suppliers. ...Our cross-examination of senior National Grid executives and other principals in the proposed agreement established several important facts.
Also filed under [
Massachusetts]
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