America is wrestling with the worst energy crisis in its history, a period of high prices and limited supply. According to the Brookings Institution, in 2022, the average U.S. residential retail electricity price was 15.12 cents/kWh, an 11% increase from 13.66 cents/kWh in 2021. In the first three months of 2023, the average U.S. residential monthly electricity bill was $133, or 5% higher than for the same time in 2022. There is confusion with savings or cost expectation of solar and wind conversion, also government decisions have impacted the natural gas and energy supply. While electric vehicles are a much-touted solution for replacing oil, gasoline or diesel fuel contains 40 times the energy as a state-of-the-art battery. Questionable efforts are being made by utilities and government leadership to address our energy future. Critical solutions have been avoided and hidden. Fossil-fuel plants are closing faster than green alternatives can replace them. Producers of oil and gas can't keep up with the confusion in supply. Fantasy thinking has taken hold of President Biden and Democrat leaders. Progressives and their media followers are guilty of denial concerning the reality of how to solve a potential climate/energy crisis.

Energy and climate change are complicated. Credible scientists challenge whether there is a climate crisis. The three U.S. electric grids are old and at capacity, and many power plants are outdated. California is one example of the problem. New plants have not been brought online due to environmentalists and demonization by politicians; some have even been targeted for shutdown.  Renewable energy has been identified as having benefits and can supply up to 35% of energy demand but is unreliable since it requires wind, sun, or flowing water.  It also creates energy storage and environmental issues. The Biden administration and Governor Gavin Newsom in California have embarked on plans to eliminate the use of gas and replace all transportation vehicles, garden tools, stoves, dryers’ etc. using electrical energy.  This approach will place an overwhelming timeline and demand on existing energy resources.  It will require a huge investment in new power plants, including the potential of nuclear.  This investment will create significant upward pressure on the cost of energy and create blackouts from poor planning.

What would the popularity of Biden and Newsom be if they were honest along with the biased media?  They speak of green energy but avoid the hidden facts: the reality that it will require massive funding, and increased energy cost to build the required new power facilities -- one estimate is two trillion dollars. The critical timeline to update grid facilities will force blackouts. Utilities will be required to institute demand control programs. Hidden facts demonstrate that renewable facilities have serious security and environmental flaws along with life strategy cost issues. The benefits of reducing humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels are uncertain at best.  

Those pushing an end to fossil fuel production are missing the point since fossil fuels will still be needed into the next century.  Eliminating unpopular energy sources or technologies, like nuclear or carbon capture, from the conversation is short-sighted. Practicality and ingenuity are the invaluable resources humanity needs to meet America’s future energy challenge, not uninformed political leaders and news writers who spread climate fear.

Image: Unsplash, Mehedi Hasan