Solar and wind energy wrong for Nebraska
The two windmills visible to drivers of Interstate 80 near northeast Lincoln are coming down next month. (Courtesy of Lincoln Electric System)
I often oppose new wind and solar energy projects in Nebraska. I’ve appeared in opposition to proposals in Cass, Knox, Lancaster, Saunders and York Counties.
As an attorney, I represent Knox County and a group of Lancaster County landowners. I regularly address the Omaha Public Power District board regarding its foolish net-zero policy.
I am opposed to wind and solar for many reasons, but the main reason is economics. I do, however, agree with the Amish farmer who spoke in opposition to a solar project that was rejected in Knox County. He said, “I don’t think it is a good idea to build a business based on a fad.”
Tax credits tilt playing field
Wind and solar are all about the federal income tax credits. That’s it. Goldman Sachs projected $1.2 trillion in federal payments for renewable energy projects through 2032.
It has little to do with saving the planet. For wind and solar proponents, there is certainly an element of virtue signaling to show others how much they care about the future of mankind.
I’ve long been of the opinion that the theory of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming is a scam. It is based on corrupt data that is fed into faulty models by people who have a financial bias in the result.
It is a prediction about the entire climate of the planet in the distant future, a prediction unlikely to be accurate.
Adam Smith created the academic discipline of economics with his “The Wealth of Nations.” In that book, he proved the economic law of natural advantage.
Nebraska has other advantages
The natural advantage of Nebraska is the efficient production of food. Oklahoma and Texas, on the other hand, have the natural advantage of efficient oil and natural gas production.
Nebraska trades food for oil and natural gas with other states. Both states benefit. This is how the United States has become the wealthiest nation in the world.
Gov. Jim Pillen is aware that it is not possible to create additional acres of Nebraska farmland. That’s part of why he has opposed putting solar panels on productive Nebraska ag land.
It is true that participating landowners get three to five times the cash rent for their land to let these projects happen. But many landowners reject the offer because they value something more than the almighty dollar.
I saw neighbors pitted against neighbors in Cass County. I also saw a woman cry before a legislative hearing after she recited the facts of disappearing farmland.
Debt matters
Our country is $37 trillion in debt. For every dollar spent on an approved wind, solar and battery project, the developer gets a significant slice of federal money.
We all pay for the federal debt, even those landowners who get windfall cash rents from renewable energy developers. The other point that I repeatedly make is that as wind and solar are added to the electric grid, electricity prices increase.
Over 50% of Germany’s electricity comes from renewable sources. That’s why Germany’s electricity is three to four times more expensive than the U.S. average. That’s also why Germany’s industrial base has been declining. The economics don’t work.
The OPPD board has been informed about economic studies done by the Center of the American Experiment regarding net-zero policies in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The studies show that electric rates will triple and that there could be forced blackouts in the dead of winter.
The essential problem is that solar and wind are intermittent power sources, but electricity demand is constant. Nebraska’s public power districts are required, by law, to produce only reliable power. Only dispatchable power is reliable.
David Begley is an Omaha attorney. He is a graduate of Creighton University and the Creighton University School of Law.
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