QUICK NEWS, October 31: The Halloweenishly Terrifying Flight Of Facts; The Wrong Price For Community Solar In Georgia; All About The Wind Boom

The Halloweenishly Terrifying Flight Of Facts Scariest thing on this Halloween is the demise of fact-based reality

David Horsey, October 30, 2017 (LA Times)

“…True or not, the things we fear are very likely to be the things that motivate us to vote for particular candidates…[I]f you fear global warming and people carrying guns in grocery stores, I can probably guess who you voted for in the 2016 presidential election, just as I could likely make an accurate prediction of your ballot behavior if you are someone who fears that federal agents will take your guns and immigrants will take your job…Voting is an emotional act that feels as if it is a rational choice.

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"…[Fears that] the federal government is concocting so-called false flag events, like the Sandy Hook school shooting, or that every Muslim is capable of being turned into a terrorist…are preposterous falsehoods promoted by charlatans to elicit an emotional reaction that is susceptible to manipulation…[But it] is not irrational to worry about another economic meltdown caused by high rollers on Wall Street…[or] to have angst about random mass shootings…[or] to have some concern about a lunatic North Korean dictator…[or] to fear for the safety of your teenager…[It] is harder to predict, though, how those particular fears will drive your political choices.

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"…Climate change is high on [my list of fears], although…this is more a fear for my children and grandchildren than for myself…I [also] fear that our ignorant, brash president and his chaotic administration will bungle foreign policy so badly that…America’s strength and global influence will wither…[But] the fear at the top of my list right now is that our democracy is being dangerously and permanently subverted…[by] Russian hackers, internet trolls, talk radio charlatans, right wing political operatives — and is being amplified by social media…I cannot yet see how we, as a country, will find a way out of this pit of lies. And that is as scary as anything on this spooky Halloween.” click here for more

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The Wrong Price For Community Solar In Georgia Georgia Power to open community solar program in January The 3 MW program which opens in January offers a share in solar – for a remarkably steep price.

Christian Roselund, October 23, 2017 (PV Magazine)

"Community Solar has been a great bridge for utilities and solar. While many utilities continue to resist rooftop solar, including relentless attempts to create unfavorable rate structures, community solar provides a way for these companies to offer their customers solar…Georgia Power has introduced a community solar program for its customers, to launch in January…[It] will sell shares in 3 MW of new solar projects including a 2 MW facility…Georgia Power is selling shares at $24.99 per 1 kW block per month, for a maximum not to exceed a customer’s usage or 10 blocks…Each 1 kW block will produce an estimated 130-240 kilowatt-hours per month, in the neighborhood of roughly 20% of a typical residential customer’s usage. This works out to a range of 10.4-19.2 cents per kWh, and if the average output is in the middle of this range at 185 kWh, then the cost to the consumer will be 13.5 cents per KWh…Given that the levelized cost of electricity from utility-scale solar in the United States had fallen to a range of 4.4-6.6 cents/kWh in the first quarter of this year, even excluding the benefits of the Investment Tax Credit , this is a remarkably high price. It’s also higher than the average residential electricity price in Georgia, which was at 11.4 cents/kWh in 2016.” click here for more

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All About The Wind Boom Why Wind Energy Is Booming in the U.S.

Travis Hoium, October 29, 2017 (Madison.com)

“The U.S. wind industry has had a resurgence in the last few years as utilities and companies search for new renewable energy generation…Through the end of 2016, 82.1 GW of wind has been installed, and that figure will only grow over the next five years [As companies like Amazon and Alphabet Inc and renewable energy yieldcos look to expand their generation]…Improving technology and subsidies are working together to make wind an attractive energy source for developers…[T]urbines aren't actually getting cheaper on a cost-per-watt basis…[but] wind projects have a higher capacity factor, meaning each watt of wind generation installed is generating more electricity per year…From 1998 to 2001, capacity factor was 25.4%, and projects built in 2015 had a capacity factor of 42.6%. Each watt installed generated 67% more electricity…Wind gets a production tax credit, and solar gets an investment tax credit; here's how that creates an advantage for wind energy… If wind turbine manufacturers can continue to cut costs and increase capacity factor, the industry will continue to grow…” click here for more

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