How dumping coal and nuclear power led to Europe's energy crisis | Eastern North Carolina Now

Real Clear Energy has an excellent analysis of how Europe created its own energy crisis with high prices and supply problems by listening to the environmental extremists and ditching coal fired electricity and nuclear power in favor of wind and solar, backed by gas.  Unfortunately, RINOs in our legislature, doing the bidding of Roy Cooper, the wind and solar special interests, and "woke" utility monopoly Duke Energy, have put North Carolina on the same path.

Wholesale prices of electricity in Europe for 2021 are four times the average of what they were from 2015 to 2020.  That is being felt by consumers, both residential and industrial, in their electric bills

Some European countries like Germany and Spain got ahead of others with domestic programs to convert to  wind and solar, but last year legislation was passed in the EU parliament to require a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 and creating taxes for emitting carbon in the interim.  NC's Green New Deal HB951 passed late last year, is more severe in requiring a 70% reduction by 2030.

Wind and solar are both intermittent sources of energy that are undependable, so they have to be backed up with something.  Huge batteries for storing electricity have been a huge failure, so the usual pattern is to back them up with gas fired power plants, which can be cycled up and down more quickly and efficiently than coal or nuclear.

Using gas for a backup can put a huge demand on gas supplies when the wind falters. In short term situations like the Polar Vortex in the US mid-west, this meant curtailing gas supplies to industry and in some cases heating of buildings to keep gas supplies up for making electricity.  Longer term wind deficiencies as have happened in late summer and fall in Europe and are now happening again, have even greater consequences, draining gas reserves and causing gas prices to skyrocket.  That means anyone using either electricity or gas pays much higher energy bills, and if supplies run too low, face energy rationing.  The UK, with its high use of wind and solar, is now conducting a major study on electricity rationing.

The collapse in wind generation of electricity has led both Germany and the UK to reopen or continue using coal fired power plants scheduled to be closed in order to keep the grid up, but both seem determined to close those plants anyway.  The new center-left German government is also bound and determined to continue closing cheap and reliable nuclear power plants.

Some European countries are better off than others.  France has depended on nuclear power for the lions share of its electricity for years, and is now refurbishing existing plants to prolong their useful life and building a raft of new ones.  Nuclear is not only dependable and cost efficient in producing electricity but also avoids the EU carbon fees.  Poland continues to rely on mostly coal fired electricity, which gives them dependable power but thanks to the EU carbon fee is becoming much more costly.  The Poles are also studying using small modular nuclear reactors for power, and have passed a law requiring all wind turbines to be removed by 2030.

https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2022/01/31/europes_self-made_energy_crisis_814587.html

NC will likely see a similar path.  "Woke" Duke Energy will not risk its ESG score with the left to build any more nuclear plants, and will push wind and solar backed by gas as is anticipated under HB951 as they eliminate coal fired power.  That will put NC in exactly the same position as Europe.  Thanks, Cooper.  Thanks, RINOs.