Maggie's Farm

It is a myth that solar or wind energy is clean or affordable. The simple fact is that it takes more energy to manufacture, transport, install and maintain solar and wind energy than it ever produces. The only people who benefit from these efforts are the manufacturers of these system, the companies that install and manage them and the politicians who get kick backs from those companies.

To make it appear as though it is practical the costs are hidden. First there is an up front subsidy where half or more of the costs are borne by the tax payer. This tax is generally hidden in any discussion of the systems so that when they tell you a new facility will cost $4 billion what they don't tell you is there was another $4 billion already paid out to the installer.

Next there is the cost to the consumer. This too is done in a way to hide the actual costs. The utility is forced by law to buy the power generated and the cost to them is 4-8 times what power from a hydro, coal or NG plant would cost. This cost is blended in with all other sources of electricity and the consumer simply sees a rate increase without any attribution to why or where it came from.

There are additional hidden costs. For example any solar or wind power facility must have a conventional generation facility to back it up because the wind doesn't always blow and the sun doesn't always shine. This power plant must be up and running 24/7 even if it isn't producing power because the power from alternative energy sources is so unpredictable. Usually the costs of these "just in case" generation facilities won't even be part of the calculation because they don't want you to know the true costs.