House Republicans can make wind lobbyist Denise Bode the biggest champion of fossil fuels.
Environment and Energy Daily reports,
The wind power industry is warning that it could lose thousands of jobs if Congress lets a key tax credit expire next year, amid a backdrop of disdain for green subsidies by conservative politicians.
The industry has boomed since the last time Congress let the production tax credit temporarily expire in 2003, with some 35,000 installed wind turbines now able to provide more than 40,000 megawatts of electricity. That is the equivalent of about 40 large coal-fired power plants.
The industry’s rapid pace of growth, at about 15 percent last year, is already beginning to slow down as developers question whether the credit’s payment of 2.2 cents for every kilowatt-hour will disappear in December 2012, according to industry members…
The House GOP should tell the wind and solar industries that if they want their precious production tax credits to continue after 2012, then they’re going to have to earn them by convincing the Obama administration to stop its war against fossil fuels.
This could be the first time the wind and solar industries actually earn their taxpayer subsidies.
So, that means that twice the money per kWh includes 1 million years of storage. Big fat lie. BTW, I worked at the company that did the startup on Diablo units 1 and 2 and it was built on a fault line.
@David Larsen
The cost to store nuclear waste is include, by law, in the original cost of the generated electricity. That is, every gram of nuclear waste produced in the US has already had the cost of it’s disposal paid for by the original consumer of the electricity. They just haven’t got what they paid for because of politics.
Wind is intermittant at best. The cost per kWh is ridiculous compared to other non renewable energy sources. Why this persistant ‘let’s spend taxpayers money’ to feel warm and fuzzy inside? 4-7 cents per kWh with coal. Nukes are 12-14 cents in Illinois and who pays for the 1 million years of storage for nuclear waste? Coal and natural gas are what will keep this country competitive in world economics, nothing else.
It is still a losing game for taxpayers and ratepayers. I think the government gives a 30 percent tax credit for construction costs of the wind plant. Then those generating electricity get their 2.2 cents per kw-hr for power generated. On top of this, Public Service Commissions may require the local utilities to pay 20 cents per kw-hr or higher for buying the wind power. This is huge profit with no risk of capital for the wealthy who live off crony capitalism. We need to stop all subsidies for all forms of energy. Subsidies are cash payments from taxpayers to energy providers. The fossil fuel industry gets no subsidies and they generate electricity the cheapest. Under ten cents per kw-hr.