NJ Energy Report – November 2024
Actions and comments affecting the New Jersey energy supply.
Summary
- Two blogs were published by environmental writers claiming the planet is doomed if environmental policies are relaxed by Trump.
- New Jersey Congressman Pallone urged President Biden to implement environmental policies through executive action.
- Germany experienced a wind drought which significantly decreased its renewable energy supply.
- Two utilities raised natural gas prices and an op-ed was written asserting solar power would be cheaper than natural gas.
- An op-ed was written urging a long delayed NJDEP coastal development regulation be issued.
Comments
No actions occurred during November; instead, there was a battle of words about alleged and future environmental catastrophes.
The Fear Factor Continues
These two blogs (1) (2) are from environmental writers and assert Trump will destroy the environment.
They say nothing new, instead they use the usual underlying fear factor assumption that increasing CO2 emissions will increase deaths and catastrophe. They ignored the facts that climate deaths have decreased by 98% in a century as fossil fuel use has increased and actual data shows the earth will green and food production will increase. (3) Is that worse than death.
Their real fear is Trump is ending the anti-energy, anti-human actions that underly the environmental belief that no human impact on the environment is permitted. Simply humans are a disease on the planet.
References
(1`) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/11/donald-trump-reelection-promises-upending-us-climate-policy/
(3’) https://energytalkingpoints.com/the-climate-safety-denial-movement/
Ignoring an Election and the Public Wishes.
Congressman Pallone calls for the Biden administration to issue additional regulations and make an executive decision to prevent Trump from implementing his environmental program (1`). This action is to basically overturn the election results. Why bother to have elections if the winning party cannot implement its agenda?
The country voted for an easing of energy and environmental regulation. If environmental and energy policy is to continue past any administration then congress must pass a law, not demand executive decisions.
References
(1`) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/11/environmental-agenda-remains-priority-pledges-nj-rep-frank-pallone-regardless-trump/
Ignoring an Election and the Public Wishes. No 2
Here is another example of Congressman Pallone trying to implement policies that were rejected by the election. (1). A permanent baring the future use of any energy form is bad policy because no knows the future. Energy. a permanent ban of oil or any form of energy MUST be done by Congress and not by executive order. A congressional ban means there is widespread agreement across the country on the action. An executive order means one man and a small group made the decision.
Reference
(1`) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/11/pallone-senior-house-democrats-urge-biden-disallow-oil-gas-drilling-in-swath-us-continental-shelf/p
Energy Supply
Offshore Wind Turbines
No Wind – What Then???
An underlying assumption of wind power is it will always be available or available shortly. What happens when the wind does not return for days or weeks. How is electricity provided?
This article (1) describes actual wind behavior in Germany and the United Kingdom and the dangers of relying on wind energy without fossil fuel backup. It isn’t pretty.
The wind advocates and the New Jersey BPU ignore this possibility of low wind. The BPU and the legislators should be asking
- Does a plan exist to supply power when the wind speed drops? What is it? Do they claim it will not occur? How long will a wind drought last? How long will back up storage power last? How will back up batteries be recharged and when?
Wind should not replace any dispatchable power until this issue is resolve?
References
(1`) https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/11/06/the-dunkelflaute-disaster-what-happens-when-wind-power-goes-silent/#comments
Natural Gas
Natural Gas and Solar Electricity Costs
Two NJ utilities filed for natural gas rate increases. (1) and immediately an anti-fossil fuel advocate claimed solar electricity is cheaper than natural gas therefor the state should be pursuing solar electricity as the fuel of the future. (1)
“The math is simple, solar is currently the cheapest energy, and if our electricity came from more solar, energy bills would be cheaper,” he said. “Homeowners with heat pumps would be saving even more money than they already are over their neighbors using polluting oil or methane gas furnaces this winter.
“Solar and wind power are not only cleaner but increasingly more affordable than oil and gas, helping shield our residents from volatile dirty fossil fuel markets,” Potosnak said.
The assertion that solar electricity is cheaper is false, particularly when federal subsidies and reliability costs are included. Solar Federal subsidies, measured by unit energy costs, are 211 times natural gas subsidies for each MW-hr.
Federal subsidy per MWhr (2`)
Solar – $82.46
Gas – $0.39
Solar costs are measured at the solar panel not at the grid connection point. The transmission line costs are excluded. Solar requires battery or natural gas backup because of its intermittency. This is another excluded cost. Gas does not require backup. Solar is also subsidized by the coerced purchase of solar electricity whether or not it is required or cost effective. (3`)(4)(5)
Why wasn’t the advocate challenged on this issue by the reporter?
References
(1`) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/rate-hikes-approved-for-two-nj-gas-utilities/
(2`) https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/08/29/energy-transition-its-a-federal-bribe-versus-consumer-demand/
(3`) https://energytalkingpoints.com/wind-cheap/
(5`) https://energytalkingpoints.com/warren-letter/
Sea Level Rises
A Rerun Argument
This op-ed urges passage of an undefined but necessary NJDEP regulation to combat climate change and protect the pinelands and coastal development. (1`). The unstated regulation is the REAL regulation which has been bouncing about for several years. It has not been approved because of opposition to several requirements which are based on incorrect estimates of sea level rises.
The regulation would require all future construction, and perhaps existing construction, be capable of withstanding five (5) foot sea level rise by 2100. This is gross over kill because the most likely rise is two (2) feet.
The measured sea level rise in New Jersey since 2000 is under two (2) inches which well within the historical level of twelve (12) inches per century. The five (5) ft rise in 75 -years is merely guessing by modelers. New Jersey’s real coastal problem is not rising sea levels but sinking land Even if the sea rises 12 inches and the land sinks 12 inches the relative water level is still only two feet. Imposing a five-foot height increase on buildings imposes a severe economic penalty on all home and business owners.
This issue with supporting documentation can be found in the May and June 2024 monthly reports.
References
(1`) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2024/11/op-ed-urging-support-dep-real-resilience-rules-would-benefit-pinelands-all-nj/
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