{"id":336654,"date":"2024-07-16T16:37:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T14:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=336654"},"modified":"2024-07-16T16:37:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T14:37:36","slug":"the-big-renewable-energy-lie-not-cheap-not-clean-not-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=336654","title":{"rendered":"The Big \u2018Renewable\u2019 Energy Lie: Not Cheap, Not Clean, Not\u00a0Green"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"380\" data-attachment-id=\"336664\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336664\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?fit=1200%2C630&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,630\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"green-hydrogen-hype\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?fit=723%2C380&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=723%2C380&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=1024%2C538&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=300%2C158&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?resize=768%2C403&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/stopthesethings.com\/2024\/07\/15\/the-big-renewable-energy-lie-not-cheap-not-clean-not-green\/\">STOP THESE THINGS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"357\" data-attachment-id=\"336655\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336655\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-380.png?fit=793%2C392&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"793,392\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-380\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-380.png?fit=723%2C357&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-380.png?resize=723%2C357&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-380.png?w=793&amp;ssl=1 793w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-380.png?resize=300%2C148&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-380.png?resize=768%2C380&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even the proles have worked out that wind and solar aren\u2019t cheap, they aren\u2019t clean and they most certainly aren\u2019t green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their rocketing power bills are enough evidence to dispose of the \u2018cheap\u2019 wind and solar myth. Millions of tonnes of spent solar panels and toxic wind turbine blades being ground up and heading to landfills are sufficient to dispose of the clean and green myth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Add to that the massive and ever-increasing subsidies to intermittent wind and solar and the big renewable energy lie is laid bare \u2013 as David Pearl outlines in the first piece. And Alan Moran confirms in the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The big renewable energy lie<\/strong><br>The Spectator<br>David Pearl<br>8 June 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Always be suspicious of an expert report that appears to serve a crude ideological purpose. Always be on the lookout for the big lie dressed up in the language of science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 22, the CSIRO\u2019s latest GenCost report was released. It claimed that large-scale wind and solar are the lowest-cost electricity generation technologies, significantly under-cutting nuclear power alternatives. Chris Bowen was quick to seize on this: \u2018Our reliable renewables plan is backed by experts to deliver the lowest cost energy,\u2019 he said, on the day of its release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Debate on the GenCost report has focused on its treatment of nuclear power. But commentators have missed a fatal flaw in the report\u2019s methodology. Its reliance on a cost metric (the so-called Levelised Cost of Electricity or LCOE) that, by its authors\u2019 own admission, is no \u2018substitute\u2019 for \u2018more realistic\u2019 ways to analyse electricity generation costs, including cash flow analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buried on page 64 of the report, this gives the game away. LCOE is an accounting metric, not an economic one. It measures the total unit costs a generator must recover to meet all expenses \u2013 plant, equipment, land, raw materials, and labour \u2013 including a return on investment. It says nothing about the revenue side of the commercial equation:&nbsp;<em>What prices can the generator earn on the wholesale market and, given their costs, what profits can be earned?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For economists, nothing sensible can be said about a service\u2019s economic value, and therefore economic cost, without this additional information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think about it. An unreliable car that costs far less to make than a reliable one could not be said to be \u2018cheaper\u2019 than the latter if it has no value for consumers. If, as is almost certain, it could not be sold at a profit, society would be in fact worse (not better) off for devoting capital, land and labour to its production. It is value-subtracting from an economic point of view, not value-adding (unless any external benefits it brings outweigh them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the same logic, an inherently unreliable source of power, like solar or wind, cannot be said to be cheaper in an economic sense than a reliable source of power, regardless of how much it costs to supply when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, which as we know is only 20 to 40 per cent of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To make the same point in a different way. For the 60 to 80 per cent of the time when intermittent power cannot be supplied at any price, its economic cost can be said to be infinite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the eminent MIT economist Paul Joskow has pointed out, the LCOE metric ignores the decisive commercial advantage dispatchable power, in whatever form, enjoys over wind and solar generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An operator of a coal, gas, and indeed nuclear power facility can gear their operation to meet expected consumer demand as reflected in wholesale market prices. In contrast, for intermittent wind and solar, consumer demand can only ever be satisfied \u2013 and profits earned, leaving subsidies to one side \u2013 by accident. Literally as a quirk of prevailing weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this respect, wind and solar are more akin to agriculture than manufacturing, liable to suffer from gluts (when it is sunny and all solar capacity is operating), droughts (on cloudy or windless days), and mismatches (when it is windy at times when power demand is minimal). Intermittent revenues, absent guaranteed returns, are inherently unreliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When combined with the very high fixed capital costs of renewable projects, this fact explains why wind and solar developers need huge subsidies despite their very low marginal costs. Why, in the absence of this taxpayer support, large-scale wind and solar operators would go out of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GenCost LCOE measure blinds us to this inconvenient truth. It asserts that wind and solar are cheap, but cannot explain the subsidies they need. On this ground alone, it should be rejected. From the public\u2019s perspective \u2013 from the point of view of consumers \u2013 it obscures and indeed misleads rather than enlightens. A private business using this marketing trick would never get away with it, yet government ministers go uncriticised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the Australian economy was collapsing under the economic weight of protectionism in the late 20th Century, the Productivity Commission\u2019s predecessor agencies courageously publicised the economic costs of this policy. At first these reports were ignored, as both the Coalition and Labor politicians proudly boasted of being protectionist (the term didn\u2019t become a pejorative one until the 1970s), but eventually they were taken notice of and influenced policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, the same critical spotlight should be applied to the costs of wind and solar power, which include: 1. the direct cost of subsidies for them; 2. the system-wide costs \u2013 including transmission, storage and back-up dispatchable power \u2013 they impose (this would include the cost of subsidies to keep coal-fired power stations operating); 3. the uncompensated economic, social and environmental losses wind, solar, and new transmission lines are inflicting farmers and others living in regional communities (an unprecedented expropriation of property rights); and 4. the welfare costs of a more volatile and less reliable grid (given that additional storage, with current technologies, cannot smooth things over if the renewable share continues to rise).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This renewable energy audit should be embraced by all in the community, regardless of their views on climate change, Net Zero and the merits of nuclear energy. It should be demanded by not only the opposition, but all Labor people who worry about the mounting economic pain being caused by the government\u2019s renewable-only crusade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, the renewable industrial complex \u2013 which reaches deep into the bureaucracy, corporate world, the media and our academic institutions \u2013 can be relied on to bitterly oppose such an exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For them at least, this form of sunlight would not be the best form of disinfectant. Rather, it would lay bare the billions of dollars of rents a select few are extracting from the rest of the community, possibly the biggest deliberate transfer of wealth from low to high-income Australians we have ever seen.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/app.spectator.com.au\/2024\/06\/08\/the-big-renewable-energy-lie\/content.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><strong>The Spectator<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"433\" data-attachment-id=\"336657\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336657\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-381.png?fit=1020%2C611&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1020,611\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-381\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-381.png?fit=723%2C433&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-381.png?resize=723%2C433&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-381.png?w=1020&amp;ssl=1 1020w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-381.png?resize=300%2C180&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-381.png?resize=768%2C460&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Renewable energy subsidies undermine our economy<\/strong><br>The Spectator<br>Alan Moran<br>5 June 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australia has seen a 20-year downward trend in productivity. Many other nations have seen similar trends and the cause is common: burgeoning growth of government squeezing out productive investment and an unrelenting surge in regulations, especially and notably so in Australia, covering fossil fuel both in its extraction and in its domestic use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Productivity Commission depicts the generally downward trend in productivity since the mid-1990s, punctuated by a mini recovery that petered out about a decade ago. In 2022-23 productivity actually fell by 3.7 per cent and remains below its 2021-22 level.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"633\" height=\"336\" data-attachment-id=\"336658\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336658\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-382.png?fit=633%2C336&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"633,336\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-382\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-382.png?fit=633%2C336&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-382.png?resize=633%2C336&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-382.png?w=633&amp;ssl=1 633w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-382.png?resize=300%2C159&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 633px) 100vw, 633px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australia has greater natural wealth per head of population than anywhere else in the world. With good government focused on protecting property rights, ensuring law and order, we would have the highest living standards in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fact that we are falling short \u2013 and increasingly so \u2013 of our potential is due entirely to government. The Commonwealth, over the past few decades, has increased its share of the nation\u2019s spending from under 20 per cent to over 26 per cent of GDP and has run up half a trillion dollars of debt. We have seen similar increases from state governments \u2013 increases that have actually been accompanied by reduced service provision as a result of many former roles having been privatised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An additional drag on real growth is regulation \u2013 the Institute of Public Affairs reports that the number of regulatory restrictions in federal law has increased by 88 per cent since 2005. Regulations have been exacerbated by judicial activism facilitating a well-financed green anti-development movement in preventing, delaying and seriously adding to costs and to investor confidence. Impediments to coal development are seen in all states. For gas, premium anticipated returns are now required for projects. This is a corollary of the travails like the dozen years it has taken Santos to get its Narrabri through a labyrinthian regulatory approvals system and the Victorian government\u2019s layered moratorium on gas exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dominance of mining in national investment, especially in the last 20 years, is evident, as is its collapse over the past 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"484\" height=\"296\" data-attachment-id=\"336659\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336659\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-383.png?fit=484%2C296&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"484,296\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-383\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-383.png?fit=484%2C296&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-383.png?resize=484%2C296&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-383.png?w=484&amp;ssl=1 484w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-383.png?resize=300%2C183&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disturbingly, the age of the national capital stock has also increased over the past decade \u2013 in the case of manufacturing from 11 to 13 years; for mining from 7 to 10 years and for agriculture from 12 to 14 years. It can be of no consolation that the age of capital has not increased in the electricity, gas, and water sectors since a major component of that sector\u2019s new capital is wind\/solar electricity, which is highly subsidised and displaces far more productive coal generation, making apparent investment actual disinvestment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Complementing the assault on mining are the progressively growing regulations that subsidise renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These regulations commenced with an obligation that retailers ensure \u20182 per cent of additional\u2019 electricity to be provided by renewables, comprising wind and solar that then, as now, are both high cost and unreliable. Although no longer tabulated in the budget papers, the aggregate level of subsidy can be derived from published material. This shows from just a few hundred million dollars a year, the support for renewables is now over&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulationeconomics.com\/_files\/ugd\/b6987c_54406150c6574ee8ab958c277bbe2453.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$15 billion a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"473\" height=\"240\" data-attachment-id=\"336661\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336661\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-384.png?fit=473%2C240&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"473,240\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-384\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-384.png?fit=473%2C240&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-384.png?resize=473%2C240&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-384.png?w=473&amp;ssl=1 473w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-384.png?resize=300%2C152&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest budget announced an upgrade in this support with $22.7 billion for Labor\u2019s \u2018Future Made in Australia\u2019 agenda, much of which the Opposition has said it will retain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These subsidies are, unlike other government direct spending and regulatory measures, actually designed to destroy one supply source, coal, and replace it with renewables. The increase in these subsidies bells the cat in claims that renewables are the cheapest form of electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The subsidies have brought about a displacement of coal generation, which now provides about 56 per cent of electricity compared with 77 per cent historically. While initially bringing downward price pressures, the subsidies, in forcing coal generators\u2019 closure and sub-optimal operations, have resulted in the ex-generator electricity price rising from under $40 per megawatt hour in 2015 to over $100 today. In addition, the diffuse and intermittent nature of wind and solar requires massive expenditures on duplicating back-up plant, batteries and a threefold expansion of the transmission network. And governments are now subsidising coal generators to prevent them closing \u2018prematurely\u2019 and thereby threatening the entire network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This increased cost of electricity is already driving out businesses, especially the energy-intensive industries which have been the backbone of the nation\u2019s productivity. And&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/parlinfo.aph.gov.au\/parlInfo\/download\/chamber\/hansardr\/27640\/toc_pdf\/House%20of%20Representatives_2024_05_29.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Barnaby Joyce<\/a>&nbsp;asks, \u2018Name me one global manufacturer who wants to move to Australia \u2013 just one. They\u2019re all running for the door \u2013 aluminium, steel, plastics, oil refining, manufacturing, even food processing now with Cadbury.\u2019<br><a href=\"https:\/\/app.spectator.com.au\/2024\/06\/05\/renewable-energy-subsidies-undermine-our-economy\/content.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><strong>The Spectator<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"462\" data-attachment-id=\"336662\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=336662\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-385.png?fit=818%2C523&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"818,523\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-385\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-385.png?fit=723%2C462&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-385.png?resize=723%2C462&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-385.png?w=818&amp;ssl=1 818w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-385.png?resize=300%2C192&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-385.png?resize=768%2C491&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even the proles have worked out that wind and solar aren\u2019t cheap, they aren\u2019t clean and they most certainly aren\u2019t green.<\/p>\n<p>Their rocketing power bills are enough evidence to dispose of the \u2018cheap\u2019 wind and solar myth. Millions of tonnes of spent solar panels and toxic wind turbine blades being ground up and heading to landfills are sufficient to dispose of the clean and green myth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":336664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691829711,691819094,691829712,691818728],"class_list":{"0":"post-336654","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-australian-economy","9":"tag-renewable-green-energy","10":"tag-renewable-energy-subsidies","11":"tag-wind-and-solar","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/green-hydrogen-hype.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1pzU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":273233,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=273233","url_meta":{"origin":336654,"position":0},"title":"Enviro-Frauds: Wind &amp; Solar Ain\u2019t \u2018Clean\u2019 &amp; Certainly Ain\u2019t\u00a0\u2018Green\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/08\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Call wind and solar whatever you like, but there\u2019s simply no rational basis to call them \u2018clean\u2019 or \u2018green\u2019. Both chew up monumental volumes of minerals, chemicals, rare earths and energy just to create the panels and turbines. Both leave monumental volumes of waste when turbines and panels are spent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u2018green\u2019 energy drama\"","block_context":{"text":"\u2018green\u2019 energy drama","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=green-energy-drama"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0rr4bm6jbyo8z008jvajx6oexn.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0rr4bm6jbyo8z008jvajx6oexn.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0rr4bm6jbyo8z008jvajx6oexn.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0rr4bm6jbyo8z008jvajx6oexn.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0rr4bm6jbyo8z008jvajx6oexn.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":434989,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=434989","url_meta":{"origin":336654,"position":1},"title":"Renewables Are Cheap Myth","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/03\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"I have long been meaning to address the myth that renewables provide the cheapest electricity. This myth has achieved \u201ceverybody knows that\u201d status which means that a rebuttal must have strong supporting arguments. A series of articles at the Science of Doom blog by Steve Carson explains why this myth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"cheap electricity\"","block_context":{"text":"cheap electricity","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=cheap-electricity"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQNHl9AKaUujnp_oKefu2SSDZXqj5kkKnpsg2QUx1mG9gJiWTdguYjXMjVIa4vDgyWpjb0eadWQTVMvjaIrrOSiDo6A8U0tP3foiGqRpDmQ-EIlH29q2AYMajvpHZF9wJy_ZLSIM_tJ0TKAcwD65T_m0BEvRig-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQNHl9AKaUujnp_oKefu2SSDZXqj5kkKnpsg2QUx1mG9gJiWTdguYjXMjVIa4vDgyWpjb0eadWQTVMvjaIrrOSiDo6A8U0tP3foiGqRpDmQ-EIlH29q2AYMajvpHZF9wJy_ZLSIM_tJ0TKAcwD65T_m0BEvRig-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQNHl9AKaUujnp_oKefu2SSDZXqj5kkKnpsg2QUx1mG9gJiWTdguYjXMjVIa4vDgyWpjb0eadWQTVMvjaIrrOSiDo6A8U0tP3foiGqRpDmQ-EIlH29q2AYMajvpHZF9wJy_ZLSIM_tJ0TKAcwD65T_m0BEvRig-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQNHl9AKaUujnp_oKefu2SSDZXqj5kkKnpsg2QUx1mG9gJiWTdguYjXMjVIa4vDgyWpjb0eadWQTVMvjaIrrOSiDo6A8U0tP3foiGqRpDmQ-EIlH29q2AYMajvpHZF9wJy_ZLSIM_tJ0TKAcwD65T_m0BEvRig-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AQNHl9AKaUujnp_oKefu2SSDZXqj5kkKnpsg2QUx1mG9gJiWTdguYjXMjVIa4vDgyWpjb0eadWQTVMvjaIrrOSiDo6A8U0tP3foiGqRpDmQ-EIlH29q2AYMajvpHZF9wJy_ZLSIM_tJ0TKAcwD65T_m0BEvRig-2.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":288115,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=288115","url_meta":{"origin":336654,"position":2},"title":"Solar Power Auction Prices Raised By\u00a030%","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"19\/11\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The 30% increase in administrative strike prices for solar power, a 66% increase for onshore wind, and a 52% increase for floating onshore wind aim to restore confidence in the\u00a0Contracts for Difference\u00a0(CfD) regime. From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT By Paul Homewood There\u2019s one more thing to note\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"30% increase\"","block_context":{"text":"30% increase","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=30-increase"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0Power-plant-using-renewable-solar-energy-with-sun-1920-x-1280-1920x1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0Power-plant-using-renewable-solar-energy-with-sun-1920-x-1280-1920x1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0Power-plant-using-renewable-solar-energy-with-sun-1920-x-1280-1920x1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0Power-plant-using-renewable-solar-energy-with-sun-1920-x-1280-1920x1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/0Power-plant-using-renewable-solar-energy-with-sun-1920-x-1280-1920x1280-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":405733,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=405733","url_meta":{"origin":336654,"position":3},"title":"BJORN LOMBORG: Trump\u2019s UN speech reveals inconvenient truth of massive green energy costs","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"29\/09\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Germany, Spain and UK pay double or triple US rates despite huge renewable investments","rel":"","context":"In \"European Union (EU)\"","block_context":{"text":"European Union (EU)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=european-union-eu"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOWgtMCM3wlngsLE4QNXOXJ-XCJHicDhT4qU7F51ZKS-4q6wZuwjm8QJ_0c518N6wvycSL8nxAv3m19TN1aFNJGVbFbjAqtpvICa3zXBFf0u_ScldC2m2Qc-LkSRw-Y-1.jpeg?fit=1159%2C747&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOWgtMCM3wlngsLE4QNXOXJ-XCJHicDhT4qU7F51ZKS-4q6wZuwjm8QJ_0c518N6wvycSL8nxAv3m19TN1aFNJGVbFbjAqtpvICa3zXBFf0u_ScldC2m2Qc-LkSRw-Y-1.jpeg?fit=1159%2C747&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOWgtMCM3wlngsLE4QNXOXJ-XCJHicDhT4qU7F51ZKS-4q6wZuwjm8QJ_0c518N6wvycSL8nxAv3m19TN1aFNJGVbFbjAqtpvICa3zXBFf0u_ScldC2m2Qc-LkSRw-Y-1.jpeg?fit=1159%2C747&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOWgtMCM3wlngsLE4QNXOXJ-XCJHicDhT4qU7F51ZKS-4q6wZuwjm8QJ_0c518N6wvycSL8nxAv3m19TN1aFNJGVbFbjAqtpvICa3zXBFf0u_ScldC2m2Qc-LkSRw-Y-1.jpeg?fit=1159%2C747&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0AQOWgtMCM3wlngsLE4QNXOXJ-XCJHicDhT4qU7F51ZKS-4q6wZuwjm8QJ_0c518N6wvycSL8nxAv3m19TN1aFNJGVbFbjAqtpvICa3zXBFf0u_ScldC2m2Qc-LkSRw-Y-1.jpeg?fit=1159%2C747&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":261073,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=261073","url_meta":{"origin":336654,"position":4},"title":"Sir Keir Starmer\u2019s Plans to Turn Britain into a \u2018Green Energy Superpower\u2019 will Bankrupt Households and Cripple the Economy","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/06\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"What effect will Sir Keir Starmer\u2019s ambition to turn Britain into a \u201cclean energy superpower\u201d and ban any further oil and gas exploration have on the price we will pay for our electricity, assuming he becomes our next Prime Minister?","rel":"","context":"In \"Bankrupt Households\"","block_context":{"text":"Bankrupt Households","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bankrupt-households"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-Infographic-1.6.jpg?fit=1200%2C626&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-Infographic-1.6.jpg?fit=1200%2C626&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-Infographic-1.6.jpg?fit=1200%2C626&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-Infographic-1.6.jpg?fit=1200%2C626&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0Net-Zero-Infographic-1.6.jpg?fit=1200%2C626&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":283132,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=283132","url_meta":{"origin":336654,"position":5},"title":"Investors are starting to abandon clean green energy as they realize it\u2019s never going to be cheap","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"13\/10\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Investing in a green transition will lower electricity prices, free funding from entrenched fossil fuel subsidies and create new jobs all over the world is a myth. From JoNova By Jo Nova Image by\u00a0ThankYouFantasyPictures\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay Kathryn Porter in\u00a0The Telegraph,\u00a0has compiled quite the list of failures as offshore wind projects get frozen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"clean green energy\"","block_context":{"text":"clean green energy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=clean-green-energy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mfrack_realistic_photo_of_solar_energy_market_75b1638c-1ab3-402a-8600-63cc6da72bc5.webp?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mfrack_realistic_photo_of_solar_energy_market_75b1638c-1ab3-402a-8600-63cc6da72bc5.webp?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mfrack_realistic_photo_of_solar_energy_market_75b1638c-1ab3-402a-8600-63cc6da72bc5.webp?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mfrack_realistic_photo_of_solar_energy_market_75b1638c-1ab3-402a-8600-63cc6da72bc5.webp?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/mfrack_realistic_photo_of_solar_energy_market_75b1638c-1ab3-402a-8600-63cc6da72bc5.webp?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=336654"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":336665,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336654\/revisions\/336665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/336664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=336654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=336654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=336654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}