The Wilco Sun has a feature piece in today's paper touting the benefits of renewable energy for Georgetown without mentioning all the drawbacks and issues.
All the benefits are assertions. No data is provided to prove the assertions.
1. Prices will not increase for electricity over the next 18 years.
2. What happens when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine? Answer; The gas powered plants will come online to provide electricity. How will that affect electricity prices? Answer; Don't know! But you know it will increase the cost!
No mention of the fact that the terms of the solar and wind contracts are kept secret from the taxpayers. The city hides behind a state law that applies to private energy generators to keep relevant information secret, with the approval of the Texas Attorney General. Therefore, the assertions about constant rates over time are unprovable!
The article fails to mention that the city lost over $6 million last summer due to hedging the price of electricity.
It also fails to mention that Georgetown is NOT 100% green energy. This is because the electricity input to the Texas grid is 10% renewable and 90% fossil fuel generated. Since electrons are indistinguishable from each other when put on the grid, Georgetown takes at most 10% renewable energy generated electricity from the grid with the remaining 90% generated from fossil fuels.
Of course there is no mention of the massive wealth transfer that occurs because of the government subsidies for renewable energy. All the American taxpayers and non-renewable energy rate payers pay for the subsidies so that Georgetown can have long-term stable prices.
There are other subsidies like property tax credits afforded the solar and wind generators that reduce the taxes owed to the counties and schools where the solar and wind farms are located. So, the city is implicitly saying that subsidies are "good" as long as we, the citizens of Georgetown, do not have to pay them.
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