“Renewable energy can’t displace coal.”
That analysis assumes that renewables can displace coal… they can’t. They can only displace gas, which can be ramped up and down quickly (~20 min) when the sun and wind come and go. Coal plants take many hours to ramp up and down. So none of the analysis makes sense.
- Michael Shellenberger, founder of The Breakthrough Institute, commenting on a recent analysis that found that renewable energy is responsible for over 50 percent of recent reductions in U.S. carbon emissions.
It’s NOT just a flesh wound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra_cUTmQykc
I’ve been pondering whether to weigh in on all the noise resulting from two recent studies about the failure of cap and trade policy a few years back. David Roberts nicely sums up his thoughts on the matter here, and, as usual, I largely agree with him.
First, full disclosure: I was there. As director of communications at ClimateWorks during this period, I have a pretty good sense of what went down. But rather than offering my views on what’s in these studies and joining in the mano-a-mano on he said/she said/who’s wrong/who’s right etc., I’d like to draw a sharp focus to what I think is the Real Big Issue that’s NOT being discussed.
