Excellent cost breakdown here. The 65% LCOE premium for parking lot canopies compared to greenfield really underscores the tradefof most folks don't think about. I've seen similar dynamics play out in upstate communities where incentives basically made brownfield redevelopment "cheaper on paper" but still 50% over budget when actuall construction started. What keeps nagging at me is whether the state's first-come first-served approach is really just regulatory laziness dressed up as market efficiency.
Great analysis. It describes the solar issues facing NYS. More information showing that the Climate Act must be paused to fully understand the potential impacts.
Why spend more money to get more intermittent wind and solar into the system?
Unsubsidised wind power off-grid, OK. Unsubsidised rooftop solar, not feeding into the grid OK!
Trillions have been spent around the western world on RE and we have got more expensive power, blackouts looming, inertia, voltage and frequency issues growing, and incalculable enviro damage from the third world to the forests and farmlands of the west. The most bitter legacy may be the bitter division of families and communities in the country, but what to city folk know or care about that?
I couldn’t agree more and especially appreciate your remark about the bitter divisions within communities and families. I highly recommend your posts to anyone reading this.
Can't wait to share this with all the "warrior" groups (David's) fighting utility solar/wind (Goliaths). This is just more ammunition for us to use. We are winning them but we are winning a lot AND costing the developers time and money. With most of the incentive money gone, hopefully they will be gone soon also. 🙂
The reason given by the potato growers had to do with pieces of glass or metal in the soil, which is especially problematic for tubers. But I agree with you. Sadly, we’re not even testing actual sites for metalloid substances in the site soils, in the groundwater, or in stormwater runoff. Nor are we testing for PFAS chemicals. Neither landowners nor underserved rural municipalities can afford remediation on the scale it could potentially be needed. I’ll be posting more on the topic.
Kris, this soil contamination issue is a gigantic elephant in the room. One of my colleagues is a retired soil chemist and he can see appalling risks of contamination from heavy metals leaching out of broken solar panels. They could make the fields unusable for crops and maybe even grazing, for years
He wrote to the regulatory body in the energy space and the reply was to come back with some peer-reviewed research findings and they will consider them.
I will send some of the reports he prepared for community groups protesting wind and solar developments on their farmlands.
I moved out west years ago, but I'm from upstate NY. It's sad to see its destruction because of political idealogues who have no idea what they're doing and the harm they're causing.
Why spend money to get more intermittent wind and solar into the system?
Trillions have been spent around the western world on RE and we have got more expensive power, blackouts looming, inertia, voltage and frequency issues growing, and incalculable enviro damage from the third world to the forests and farmlands of the west. The most bitter legacy may be the bitter division of families and communities in the country, but what to city folk know or care about that?
Because it's not about "saving the climate (world/mankind)" its about some company making money. Start making them put up HUGE mitigation bonds, say 10x what it would be estimated to coat now. It would cover any time.
I'm not against making money but not by destroying the very things forests, productive land, marshes, jungles, (think road to airport in the Amazon for the climate conference) and oceans that actually benefit us and the "climate".
I live near a 6400 acre utility solar project AND a two reactor nuclear plant (online since 1978 and permitted to 2060). I'd much rather have the nuclear plant or more of them than solar or wind.
Excellent cost breakdown here. The 65% LCOE premium for parking lot canopies compared to greenfield really underscores the tradefof most folks don't think about. I've seen similar dynamics play out in upstate communities where incentives basically made brownfield redevelopment "cheaper on paper" but still 50% over budget when actuall construction started. What keeps nagging at me is whether the state's first-come first-served approach is really just regulatory laziness dressed up as market efficiency.
Great analysis. It describes the solar issues facing NYS. More information showing that the Climate Act must be paused to fully understand the potential impacts.
Why spend more money to get more intermittent wind and solar into the system?
Unsubsidised wind power off-grid, OK. Unsubsidised rooftop solar, not feeding into the grid OK!
Trillions have been spent around the western world on RE and we have got more expensive power, blackouts looming, inertia, voltage and frequency issues growing, and incalculable enviro damage from the third world to the forests and farmlands of the west. The most bitter legacy may be the bitter division of families and communities in the country, but what to city folk know or care about that?
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/losing-the-war-on-co2
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/the-green-energy-transition-is-all
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/wind-and-solar-the-energy-thieves-a0c
I couldn’t agree more and especially appreciate your remark about the bitter divisions within communities and families. I highly recommend your posts to anyone reading this.
Can't wait to share this with all the "warrior" groups (David's) fighting utility solar/wind (Goliaths). This is just more ammunition for us to use. We are winning them but we are winning a lot AND costing the developers time and money. With most of the incentive money gone, hopefully they will be gone soon also. 🙂
My fingers are crossed! Let me know if you ever need PDFs.
thank you. Will do.
Remember that potatoes can’t be grown after solar panels or probably anything else.
Land contaminated with leached chemicals is dead to food production
The reason given by the potato growers had to do with pieces of glass or metal in the soil, which is especially problematic for tubers. But I agree with you. Sadly, we’re not even testing actual sites for metalloid substances in the site soils, in the groundwater, or in stormwater runoff. Nor are we testing for PFAS chemicals. Neither landowners nor underserved rural municipalities can afford remediation on the scale it could potentially be needed. I’ll be posting more on the topic.
Kris, this soil contamination issue is a gigantic elephant in the room. One of my colleagues is a retired soil chemist and he can see appalling risks of contamination from heavy metals leaching out of broken solar panels. They could make the fields unusable for crops and maybe even grazing, for years
He wrote to the regulatory body in the energy space and the reply was to come back with some peer-reviewed research findings and they will consider them.
I will send some of the reports he prepared for community groups protesting wind and solar developments on their farmlands.
Sorry, Henry Clark said that already:)
I moved out west years ago, but I'm from upstate NY. It's sad to see its destruction because of political idealogues who have no idea what they're doing and the harm they're causing.
sparky billboards are total waste of resources.
Why spend money to get more intermittent wind and solar into the system?
Trillions have been spent around the western world on RE and we have got more expensive power, blackouts looming, inertia, voltage and frequency issues growing, and incalculable enviro damage from the third world to the forests and farmlands of the west. The most bitter legacy may be the bitter division of families and communities in the country, but what to city folk know or care about that?
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/losing-the-war-on-co2
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/the-green-energy-transition-is-all
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/wind-and-solar-the-energy-thieves-a0c
Because it's not about "saving the climate (world/mankind)" its about some company making money. Start making them put up HUGE mitigation bonds, say 10x what it would be estimated to coat now. It would cover any time.
I'm not against making money but not by destroying the very things forests, productive land, marshes, jungles, (think road to airport in the Amazon for the climate conference) and oceans that actually benefit us and the "climate".
I live near a 6400 acre utility solar project AND a two reactor nuclear plant (online since 1978 and permitted to 2060). I'd much rather have the nuclear plant or more of them than solar or wind.