We Energies and Alliant Energy, Wisconsin’s largest utilities, announced Thursday that they will delay retirement of three large coal plants due to supply and cost concerns for consumers of electricity.
Wisconsin, like all of Central and Southern Illinois, is in a zone at “high risk” for brownouts according to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which we wrote about last week. Renewable energy sources have not come on line fast enough to secure reliable power in the zone under current conditions and coal plants are shutting down too rapidly in the zone to cover the gap.
Not only is capacity short, “but even if it was there, it’s going to be very, very expensive,” said Brendan Conway, We Energies spokesperson, to Wisconsin Public Radio. “Based on current prices, literally tens of millions of dollars more a year to buy (power) on the market as opposed to running the plant on those peak days.”
What has Illinois done about the mismatch between hoped-for renewable energy supply and expected electricity demand? Nothing so far. When asked about the problem, Gov. JB Prtizker shrugged it off, saying Illinois could simply buy electricity on the market, which We Energies says would be “very, very expensive.”
-Mark Glennon
Further pertinent articles from Wirepoints:
- Electricity cost rising 50% in much of Illinois and risk of brownouts looms
- Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s Absurd Plan To Lower Gasoline Prices
- Lake Michigan water levels have dropped to near normal, so yet another climate explanation emerges
- As the folly of Illinois’ new energy law becomes evident, a ray of hope breaks through
- Should Illinois Follow Norway’s Lead To Break Impasse On Energy Bill By Just Writing A Check?
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
McHenry County is deluged with solar farm lease option proposals. It takes 6 years to move through land-option-to-application-to-zoning-to-construction-to-production/1stpayment to farmer, according to the agents seeking farmland option commitment. Approval at step 2 is contingent upon capacity of high voltage lines at input junctions. 35-year Leases offer $1200/acre with 2% escalator. But, will not specify how many acres will be used. Signing an option locks up property 6 years so long as de minimis annual option payments are made, and essentially gags signer from making objections to any part of the process…even if a neighbor’s property is used rather than property… Read more »
This pattern of doing “nothing” is the usual here with this mope; except of course where it concerns placing blame elsewhere (kinda like brandon), increasing government (rules and regulations) and taxes of all sorts.
Downstaters are dead to Pritzker if their power goes out so what.
Everything except Cook County/Chicago is dead to Pigster. He only won 9 counties state wide when he got elected, 9 out of 102 shows that he is not well liked. Cook County/Chicago loves him with 90+% of the votes.
Our political class just imported this energy policy from the Germans / EU (but I repeat myself), also a failure there:
https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/wind/germanys-green-energy-failure/
Along with the Frankfurt School (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_School) another great import we get to deal with here now, we should slam the door on these policies and ideas and let the US do what it always did once all other alternatives were exhausted, lead and succeed.
Illinois politicians only react to issues and problems when they become untenable. When Central and Southern Illinois have brownouts this summer Pritzker will blame everyone but himself and the Illinois Power agency. Last September, Pritzker signed into law the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act with carbon mitigation rules. In April 2022, he signed the Coal-to-Solar Energy Storage Initiative which will shut down coal plants and repurpose them for Solar. How many days a year does Illinois have unimpeded sunlight? Less than 150 I believe.
A two acre solar field was built not too far from my neighborhood. Last winter after about 8 inches of snow the panels were totally covered for about 10 days since it was heavily overcast. Gradually over the next 3 or 4 days after the heavy overcast was gone the panels again appeared. How much power was generated for those 2 weeks?
That is a perfect example. The same thing happened to Texas in January-February 2021 when that huge freeze shut down most of the Texas power grid. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers was responsible for that problem. It was later disclosed that 56% of electricity in Texas comes from Wind and Solar. Renewable energy will not solve Illinois’ electric grid problems.
Actually, about half of electricity in Texas comes from natural gas, and about 25% comes from wind and solar combined. The problems Texas had spanned all the sources of generation and weren’t limited to wind and solar.
China, India, and other “developing” countries will increase their carbon footprints significantly over the next decades, so any “green energy” mandates we impose on ourselves will only hurt us. And will not lower overall global carbon emissions one bit. Insanity!
You are wrong about Illinois. They are doing something. They have been shutting down coal fired power plants.
Your link on the Griffin article is wrong and redirects to a cyber security firm.
Thank you, though we haven’t found what you are referring to yet.
It’s the June 23 Washington Free Beacon link
Thanks. Strange. It works for me. But no matter because we will have our own column up soon on the same subject.
Got a postcard from Peoria Co warning me that essentially because of Pritzker, and the Democrats I needed to expect much higher electricity rates and should budget accordingly. The budget example provided was for a 100% increase!!!
Sorry to hear that. I just hope you have no rolling brownouts this summer. Do you have a generator?
Natural gas prices looks like it will increase again for July but Roe vs Wade was just overturned so Illinois will be the abortion destination in the Midwest and that’s what is important to lawmakers not Citadel moving out or energy prices.
Yes, exactly. But abortion is also important to IL voters, very very important. They consistently and reliably elect the same Moloch worshipers to office year after year. 55% of the state would rather burn the state’s finances down rather than limit or restrict abortion even one bit.
Election fraud
Not only *not doing anything*, but advocating more usage by pushing for more EV’s…
Vindictively causing more pain to the unwashed masses…
And they will easily get re-elected…
Illinoisans deserve every ounce of suffering that comes they way.
Year after year they continue to re-elect and enable the crooks who run the state.
Fortunately for them their misery might not last much longer with the threat of a Nuclear War with Russia and Chicago being vaporized.
Why bother wasting a nuke when Chicago is already destroying itself?
I can see the headlines. Chicago destroyed by a nuke. But first. Taco Joe’s has a buy one get one deal and 50% off at all Pawn Daddy shops.
NOT TRUE…..THEY STEAL THE ELECTION JUST LIKE THEY DID 2020
‘And they will easily get re-elected…’
Unfortunately, you’re right. Illinoisans are voting with their feet and moving to more fiscally responsible (read ‘conservative’) places: IN, WI and MI. The IL gene pool is solidifying around Democrats, irresponsibility and poor decisions.
It’s election fraud.
THEY STEAL IT …………..PERIOD…………NOT ALL OF US ARE STUPID AND VOTE FOR THIS CRAZINESS