“Mandating Markets for Wind Power– a Stealth Tax on Electricity Consumers.”

Cartoon By Ramirez.

By Viv Forbes, Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition.

First, some news from Viv.

Our topic today is “Renewable Energy”, which is mainly about political Whims and unreliable Winds. At last the tide seems to be turning. Businesses and consumers are coming to realize that the whole Emissions Industry is designed to deliver money and power to the government. There is nothing in it for taxpayers, consumers or the climate. Even some in the media are becoming skeptics.

For a year now, almost no media was interested in our story. But recently we have had TV, radio and newspaper reporters seeking comment from the Carbon Sense Coalition, and often the interviewers were friendly or at least open-minded.

A few other developments.

1. John Coleman, the weatherman who started "The Weather Channel," has become one of the most prolific opponents to the theory of man-made global warming. Here he reports how the whole thing started.

2. Here is a petition you should sign. Go to: 
Dr Dennis Jensen MP will be presenting the petition to the House of Representatives. 



3. And Australia has its Climate Skeptics Party. 



4. Professor Ian Plimer has a new book: “Heaven and Earth”


5. Another Australian, David Archibald has released a very informative book on the solar links to world climate changes: “Solar Cycle 24”. 


6. Last but not least, The Lavoisier Society has released “Thank God for Carbon”, the latest booklet by Ray Evans.


This is a critical year in the battle for Carbon Sense. All over the world the Warmists are becoming desperate as skepticism grows and voters are diverted to real problems like jobs and financial security. 

Any help you can give us in this battle of our times is appreciated.

Viv Forbes

“Mandating Markets for Wind Power

– a Stealth Tax on Electricity Consumers.”

A statement by Viv Forbes, Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition. (Link to this release:)

The Carbon Sense Coalition today accused the Federal and some state governments of imposing Stealth Taxes on electricity consumers by forcing power retailers to buy expensive power from inefficient and costly renewable energy sources.

The Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition, Mr. Viv Forbes, said that there were no climate benefits whatsoever in forcing consumers to buy an increasing proportion of their electricity from expensive and unreliable suppliers like wind farms.

“This whole pork barrel exercise must be designed to buy green votes because it will have negligible effect on carbon dioxide emissions, and no one could measure or feel any effect on world temperature.

“The policy is obviously an insincere fraud. If politicians were sincere in their belief that there is a critical need to cut CO2 emissions, they would be investigating what France has done to generate 75% of their power from low cost reliable nuclear power, or what Norway has done to get 97% of their power from reliable low cost hydropower. Unlike wind power, these options can generate electricity cheaply with zero CO2 emissions and without needing wasteful backup from carbon emitting coal or gas plants.

“But we hear of no proposals to build a nuclear power station in the Latrobe or the Hunter valley or new hydro schemes in the Snowy, Tasmania or North Queensland.

“Obviously there are no green votes in these efficient zero-emission power options so we see politicians wasting a never-ending stream of funds from taxpayers and consumers on expensive unreliable playthings like wind farms and home-hobby solar panels.

“Are these people for real? Australia currently gets about 94% of its electric power from carbon fuels, mainly black and brown coal. Billions of dollars in community savings are tied up in these stations and their associated transmission lines, coalmines and engineering skills.

“The ALP thinks we can cut carbon emissions by 20% and at the same time cater for a growing population, all within the next 12 years. Not to be outdone, the liberals seem to be advocating tougher targets, and Al Gore and his local green disciples think we can do without coal power altogether.

“When they start fiddling with a basic industry like power generation, misleading people on the cost, capacity and reliability of wind and solar power, and threatening the sudden closure of old but reliable coal fired stations, they will suddenly find they cannot get the blackout genie back in the bottle.

“Wind farms have proved useless in providing sufficient reliable power in critical times. During the recent long frigid spell in UK, their wind turbines were becalmed like flotilla of sailing clippers on a glassy ocean – they produced 0.4% (yes, less than one percent) of total UK power requirements – reliable old coal stations were cranked up, and heat and light for shivering Britons came from: coal (50%), gas (31%) and nuclear 16%.

“Again during the heat waves in South Australia and Victoria, the contribution from wind generators was small and generally in periods of low demand. Things were even worse in West Texas, where a sudden drop in the winds on the Texas Plains caused such instability in the power grid that the whole grid was shut down.

“Denmark is finding its wind turbines a liability – they cannot use the unreliable power and have to sell it at a loss into the European power grid.

“The A$88 million half year loss reported yesterday by BB Wind Power in Australia is a sign of the future for all shareholders who subscribe funds to these financial black holes. When subsidies and mandated market shares are removed, as they will be, wind power will be revealed as a sub-prime investment. Investors will find they were relying on whims not wind.

(The Chairman of BBW admitted that BBW relies on political supports for future profits when he said: “The Australian government's renewable energy targets and encouragement of renewable energy investment in the US would drive the company's profits in the short-term”. AAP 24/2/09)

“Already wind towers are being scrapped in Europe but still Australia is forcing consumers and taxpayers to subsidize these expensive playthings.

“The Carbon Sense Coalition has made a submission to one of the many enquiries running in Canberra Wonderland. This submission opposes any extensions of the renewable energy target schemes and recommends that current schemes be scrapped before they do irreparable harm.

The full submission can be viewed here.

Take a look, be afraid and buy a diesel generator.

Viv Forbes
Chairman
The Carbon Sense Coalition

info@carbon-sense.com    www.carbon-sense.com. 

Viv Forbes is a geologist and mineral economist who has experience in the coal, energy and investment industries. The Carbon Sense Coalition opposes the dangerous infatuation of politicians with wind power schemes that have not proven useful, efficient or reliable anywhere in the world. Wind power will provide massive work for GE and the Danes, who manufacture wind turbines, and for gas producers who will supply the gas to back up these whirling monstrosities, but no net benefits for shareholders, consumers or taxpayers. And there are no climate or health benefits.