{"id":434989,"date":"2026-03-28T19:10:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=434989"},"modified":"2026-03-28T19:10:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:10:29","slug":"renewables-are-cheap-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=434989","title":{"rendered":"Renewables Are Cheap Myth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Roger Caiazza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.\u00a0 \u00a0A series of articles at the\u00a0Science of Doom<\/a>\u00a0blog by Steve Carson explains why this myth is not true.\u00a0 He sums it up: \u201cWe built a lot of cheap intermittent energy, and now the expensive part is making the system work when that energy isn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carson explains why cheap renewables don\u2019t automatically produce cheap electricity in a\u00a0<\/strong>reading guide<\/a>\u00a0to his recent renewables posts. \u00a0Fellow traveler Francis Menton and I have long argued that before continuing with New York\u2019s renewable energy madness that a test jurisdiction should implement the transition mandates so we can see what happens.\u00a0 Carson wrote 14 posts \u201c<\/strong>starting with a broader look (including China and Europe), then drilling into South Australia as the most useful real-world laboratory for high renewables\u201d that examines the reality of other jurisdictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recommend the entire series.\u00a0 Carson suggests that if you\u2019re new to this series, the best way to read it is in time order. Each post stands alone, but \u201ctogether they build a clear picture of\u00a0why \u201ccheap renewables\u201d doesn\u2019t automatically produce cheap electricity<\/strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0and why the system ends up paying for flexibility, backup, and wiring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t have time to read them all, Carson suggested the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n