September 16, 2011

SandBox Comments: Aspen Times/Melanie Sturm "When going green goes south instead"

This is the best of Melanie Sturm.  Fantastic column this week.

Up on The Aspen Times.

"...Yet the reality is that these lofty job creation projections are wrong, as detailed in last month's New York Times story “Number of Green Jobs Fails to Live Up to Promises.” The Times concluded, ”such numbers are a pipe dream” because, as they've previously reported, wind power costs 50 percent more than conventional power, and solar-generated electricity costs up to three times more than wind power. Shifting resources toward less-efficient purposes inevitably results in less prosperity — fewer jobs at lower pay.

Furthermore, in order to compete, renewable energy sources require costly government subsidies, price floors or purchase mandates. Consequently, green policies actually increase energy prices, undermine the economy, destroy jobs and hurt consumers, especially the poorest whose family budgets are consumed by escalating costs for everything. Exacerbating things further, energy prices increase when potential suppliers and energy entrepreneurs redirect scarce capital away from government-manipulated markets.

For these reasons, renewable energies produce only 3 percent of U.S. electricity and remain a fledgling global industry, despite having enjoyed enormous government support in the U.S., Europe and China. Given the industry's small size and inherent unviability, allowing China to subsidize production to remain the lower-cost manufacturer is logical and prudent.."
(Melanie Sturm)

(Learn more?  Click title or comment to start discussion)
"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice post.

Very few remain that question the integrity of good stewardship of earth.

But the green jobs movement is a lot like social religion.

Smart people wanting to make a buck on the latest and greatest idea and people misled by themselves and others to think they're idealists serving humanity, took the green jobs movement and put it up no different than prostituting it.

Lots coming to light in the very good example of Obama and Solyndra. It wasn't just employees that knew it wouldn't make it, anybody who could google a crackberry knew it. Just see the triple digit inflation on wholesale solar panel cost and another google on how much money in profit does solar actually give the business owner?

Intangible profit such as 'earth protection' don't pay back half billion dollar loans of taxpayer money.

The problem is not the green movement.

The problem is the self serving people and the idealists.

FCL said...

What we needed was a balance.

Instead, the green movement over-balanced with recklessness, greed and a cult-like following.

Prudence, logic and rational decision making will only come after that imbalance is taken hold of by the hand of a strong leader who's not afraid to say "enough".

glenwoodsprings22, founder smalltown7 said...

Sturm brings out the only point there really is.

Enviro battle will be won only when the emotion and manipulation is taken out of the equation.

Just like smalltown did. Just like every smart watch-dog and savvy politician does.

Deal with getting rid of the problem by pounding on those facts, not the emotion.

Put down what can't be denied and then use whatever means are on hand, whatever weapon the opposition gives you to pound away on what can't be denied.

What can't be denied in the green jobs movement are the high, high costs that go above and beyond any common sense.

Can't deny the virgin base of trying to pull of too much too soon with an industry and movement where nobody knows what they're doing.

Can't deny there are equally balanced scientific and factual facts on both sides.

Can't deny that pro industry and pro taking our natural mineral resources and capitalizing on their value has a lot more merit than cons.

Can't deny that there's a massive amount of smoke and mirrors from the eco-terrorists side that's doing nothing really positive except clouding up the ability to compromise.

Get the emotion out of it and pound away to victory on all that can't be denied.

Lee Mulcahy said...

Great point FCL.

Nanny, I find Sturm's column in the Times today Sept 29th her best yet. It's the message of community and love your neighbor that we so desparately need.


And check out the hilarious trader who spoke truth to power [video has gone viral in Europe]. It's in the Guardian:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/29/alessio-rastani-no-prank

SandBoxBlogs said...

Hi, Lee.

I have Melanie's column up for my last post of the day. That's our most prime real estate. I'm just so far behind on getting all the posting today done...

I thought the same thing when I read it.

Thanks for the tip on the trader article...OMG...

FCL said...

We know we have serious issues when traders pray every night for another recession.

My comment is directed at the millions of dollars in new loans that the Obama administration just gave this past week to still yet more solar companies.

Why?

Why are we loaning to solar companies when we're finding out with Solyndra that the biggest problem is the wholesale price points of the panels? That is an industry wide problem.

Have we learned nothing?