NJ Energy Report – January 2023
Actions and comments in New Jersey affecting the energy supply
Comments
Tree planting (1)
- At one time planting trees, repairing coastal areas and similar activities were known as beautification, maintenance and restoration. Were trees never planted before climate change; were coastal areas never restored? Now these actions are called as climate change mitigation. This is Newspeak at work.
- Money from RIGG is from rate payers who are paying a tax on carbon CO2 emissions. It is not free money.
- Sea level rises guess are from Rutgers calculation reports and shown to be invalid by Judith Curry (2), (3), (4) two years ago. The facts do not fit the catastrophic sea level narrative so her work must be ignored.
- What will be the catastrophic climate change reduction effects of the trees? What will be the reduction in carbon dioxide ppm, sea level rise and storm intensity and numbers? These claims nothing but virtue signaling.
Composting Food (5)
- The legislators will save us from catastrophic climate change by ordering composting of food rather than dropping it into landfills and allowing it to decay. The potent methane will not escape or develop in composting is the assumption.
- The legislators should provide the following information.
- What is the cost per ton of methane to change to composting?
- How many tons of methane will be prevented?
- How many storms and inches of sea level rise will be prevented by stopping the methane?
- How intrusive will the regulations be to control the food waste. What is the effect on individual freedom to implement composting
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Energy Supply
Offshore Wind Turbines
Wind Cost
- Wind is supposed to be the cheapest form of electricity available because the wind is free.
- Climate realists say the wind is free but the equipment required to harness and transform the wind into useful energy is very, very expensive.
- The wind is still free so why are the wind costs rising? Inflation, interest rates, labor and material costs are all related to the equipment whose cost have always been hidden by subsidies.
- Wind costs omit transmission lines, grid connection fees and reliability which fossil and nuclear plants must pay for. Is the wind industry afraid they will have to pay those cost?
- The wind developers must absorb the equipment cost rises. If they will not absorb these costs, then the entire cost premise of wind must be reexamined.
Whales
- There are numerous whales dying off the New Jersey coast (8-12). The ocean floor is being mapped by sonic booms for identifying offshore wind platform anchor points. Whale deaths began to increase when the sonic booms were introduced. NOAA, the government agency which authorized the sonic boom states they are not causing the whale deaths. Numerous conservation groups concur with NOAA’s conclusions. Why?
- While correlation does not prove causation, correlation requires investigation, not just denial. (13) (14). A very disturbing aspect of this situation is the Wind Industry has made large financial contributions to the conservation groups. (15)
Offshore Wind Turbine Connection Line Issue (16)
- This is a legitimate technical, economic and political problem which the BPU must study. However, the BPU is also using this offshore connection line issue to hide the real cost of offshore wind power. Should each wind complex be brought ashore separately or should they connect to a common Line, a back bone, and brought ashore at one point. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages to them.
- How these costs are distributed to the wind suppliers is unknown and must be determined. However, they exist solely due to offshore wind requirements and thus are a wind cost. The BPU wants to call them grid modifications to hide the high transmission line and connection costs required. Attributing the costs properly will make the wind cost `Not Cheap’.
Wind port
- The Murphy wind port (7) is expected to cost $599 million. What part of that expense is being paid by wind supplier Orsted and others? Should the uncovered cost be listed as a subsidy to the wind industry?
- What other states are going to use this wind port which is being built to make New Jersey the center of East coast wind development.
- New York, (17) Connecticut, (18) Massachusetts (19) and Virginia (20) are building their own wind ports. Rhode Island is unlikely to come to New Jersey when other states are nearby. Why would North Carolina and South Caroline bypass Virginia to come here? That leaves only Delaware as a possible customer, perhaps not (21)?
Natural Gas
Natural Gas Supply
- The opposition to upgrading natural gas pipelines lines is to prevent gas use (22). It is to restrict gas capacity and gradually make gas unreliable. If gas use cannot be banned if equipment upgrades are prevented it will eventually become unreliable and dangerous.
Transportation
Electric Truck Charging (24)(25)
- This is just another central planning wish. Where are the feasibility studies to determine the amount of electricity required? What is the land for recharging required? What are the economics of recharging? None of these issues are much a concern? The only issue is wishing charging stations materialize to save the world.
References
(1’) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/nj-grant-program-uses-natural-climate-solutions/
(2’) https://judithcurry.com/2021/03/07/climate-adaptation-follies-part-i-the-new-jersey-challenge/
(5) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/doug-omalley-environment-new-jersey-sen-edward-durr-r-gloucester-dep-njbia-gary-sondermeyer/
(6’) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/offshore-wind-pseg-orsted-rate-counsel-brian-lipman-inflation-supply-chain-bpu-glenrock-associates-energy-master-plan-environment-new-jersey/
(8’) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/nj-conservationists-call-for-halt-to-offshore-wind-projects-after-dead-whales-wash-ashore/
(9’) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/researchers-are-looking-for-answers-to-spike-in-beached-whales-at-the-jersey-shore/
(10’) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/nj-whale-deaths-prompt-questions/
(11’) https://www.cfact.org/2023/01/07/the-silly-giant-scale-of-us-offshore-wind-development/
(12’) https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/new-noaa-map-shows-north-atlantic
(13’) https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2023/01/22/exclusive-as-whales-were-washing-up-dead-enviros-quietly-sounded-the-alarm-on-offshore-wind/
(14’) https://www.cfact.org/2023/01/30/feds-push-ignorance-defense-for-whale-killing-by-offshore-wind-development/
(15’) https://public.substack.com/p/why-environmentalists-may-make-this?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=279400&post_id=99636692&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
(16’) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/experts-say-planning-and-coordination-urgently-needed-to-get-offshore-power-to-shore/
(17) https://www.marinelog.com/offshore/offshore-wind/nyc-offshore-wind-port-plan-moves-ahead/
(18) https://www.windpowerengineering.com/connecticut-to-establish-offshore-wind-hub/
(19) https://oceancrew.org/news/massachusetts-plans-100m-investment-in-wind-ports_20-05-2022/
(20) https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/dominion-siemens-gamesa-plan-virginia-offshore-wind-power-hub-2021-10-25/
(21) https://delawarebusinesstimes.com/news/delaware-port-growing-wind-farm-industry/
(22) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/nj-approves-natural-gas-pipeline-expansion
(23) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/bpu-sji-south-jersey-south-jersey-gas-elizabethtown-gas-joseph-fiordaliso-mary-anna-holden/
(24) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/nj-moves-to-electrify-transporation-sector-charging-infrastructure/
(25) https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2023/01/nj-clean-energy-advocates-praise-proposal-for-electric-truck-charging-system/
