The Insanity Begins

Published February 13, 2019

I thought the following email from a friend of mine in the energy industry was worth sharing. Enjoy …

Well folks it is time to start watching the best indicator of the “switch” to clean, green, “renewable energy” … and that would be the price consumers pay to enjoy the “benefits” of such policies.

Hart Energy reports that Los Angeles is going to shutter three natural gas plants, over the strong objections of the staff and management who run the power network in LA. I especially love the following quote from the article linked above:

“Top staffers as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) have argued in recent months that the gas plants are critical to keeping the lights on in the city. But Garcetti sided with environmental groups who lobbied the mayor not to rebuild Scattergood, Harbor and Haynes power plants, saying the gas-fired plants contribute to climate change and local air pollution.”

I would love to see someone in the press ask: So if we shut down these plants where does the electricity come from to replace the kilo-watts these plants provided, from both a base and peak load perspective? Surely there must be a plan? I suspect the plan is “Tear it down and it will come” — kind of like what happens in the movies, only in reverse.

As an engineer I have just one thought for the poor gullible citizens of the City of Angels: Physics and politics mix as well as oil and water.