An article from a major Canadian think tank tries to disparage the benefits from wind and solar energy.
Reproduced in the Western Producer the piece by Kenneth P. Green of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy clearly shows the author cannot see the forest for the trees.
In his piece, Longer Days Are Coming Cheaper Solar Power Not So Much, Green claims solar and wind power are no longer viable because of increased costs and will be “far more expensive than fossil fuels.’’
The so-called evidence is based on the fact that prices of material inputs – silver, copper, aluminum and glass — are all increasing and make up 70 per cent of the cost of solar installation.
What he ignores or omits is that material costs for extraction of oil fuels are increasing just as much as for solar.
The cost of steel in drill pipe and pipelines is also rising fast as is the cost of the trucks and rigs used to develop and produce oil and natural gas.
What he ignores or doesn’t realize is that all material costs are increasing sharply simply because the world is in the upswing of a commodity price cycle with prices of grain and metals and other foods increasing.
His second point revolves around the eight-fold increase in container freight rates. Does he really believe that shipping rates for materials needed for fossil fuel production have somehow missed the boat on price increases?
Solar power ran into major cost increases about 12 years ago when the special silicon sand used in them was in short supply. High prices brought on new supply.
His third point belittles the “free” aspect of solar and wind power development. Their development uses land and it does.
If you drive by some of the wind turbines in this region you will notice they take up a little more space than an oil wall and most of them are on marginal pastureland.
Regulations prevent them from blocking major migratory bird flyways to save the birds.
Solar panels take more land but you can bet the hundreds of Saskatchewan farmers who sacrificed an acre or two of land for a solar panel array that ends the monthly power bill gladly did so.
There are still problems with solar and wind power. Viable commercial storage is a significant issue. While storage exists costs need to come down so energy is available on cloudy days and days with little or no wind.
The electrical distribution system needs an overhaul.
The current system is a spoke and hub model; energy is produced in the hub and distributed through the spokes.
Solar and wind power are produced along the spokes and distributed requiring an investment to be adapted for transmission from multiple sources.
These issues are not insurmountable. Ten years ago energy storage was still a concept on the drawing boards of scientists.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
