The deployment of wind
and solar by power companies imposes unnecessary costs on consumers. The
production cost of solar is 11 cents/kwh and the production cost of wind is 14
cents/kwh. The cost of coal and nuclear is
2 cents/kwh and the cost of gas is
3 cents/kwh. The cost of hydro is 0.2 cents/kwh and the cost of thermal is low
in some areas. The power companies should be choosing the cheaper options.
The choices made by
power companies as monopolies require complicity by public service commissions,
but they are obviously approving higher cost methods and having us pay for it.
It is true that the
cost of wind and solar equipment is reduced by increasing the volume of
equipment manufactured, but wind and solar costs are 5 times higher than the
lower cost options.
Wind and solar should
continue to be developed for application to private homeowners and large
farmers and ranchers who can get “off the grid” and choose to do it. The other
use for wind and solar in vast isolated areas is obvious.
Living off the grid is
possible with cellphones, septic tanks, water wells, LP gas and electricity
from wind, solar and thermal with generator back up. Ranchers would avoid sewer,
water and electric bills. They would pay for LP gas, cellphones and wifi. There
would be no telephone poles, no gas lines and no water or sewer lines. There
should be homeschooling and internet schooling, so there should be no school
buses and lower school taxes and no utility fee taxes.
Farmers, ranchers and
isolated communities would need to pay for whatever equipment they need. Solar
and wind can power water well pumps and provide night lighting.
Electricity fueled by
coal, gas, oil, nuclear and thermal uses heat to heat water to create steam to
drive turbines to create electricity.
Electricity fueled by solar hydro and wind doesn’t require heat or fuel,
but wind and solar result in higher production costs due to higher construction
and maintenance costs and lower reliability.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody
GA Tea Party Leader
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