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Commentary By Jonathan A. Lesser

Wind and Solar Proponents’ Arithmetic Problem

Despite decades of subsidies and media cheerleading, wind and solar are nowhere close to meeting American energy needs.

As fuel prices rise in the aftermath of banning Russian oil imports, it’s worth remembering that the Biden administration’s outlook on domestic energy also raises more questions than answers. The administration vows to “jump-start” the use of wind power — an initiative that many in the media and public policy seem eager to defend.

A recent report by National Public Radio claimed that “disinformation” about the economics of wind and solar power was influencing rural areas’ decisions on whether to approve large-scale wind and solar projects. According to Sarah Mills, a public-policy researcher at the University of Michigan, “These local officials are not necessarily experts in energy” and “misinformation can fuel restrictions that are more stringent than needed . . . and sometimes act as outright bans on renewable energy.”

Continue reading the entire piece here at the National Review

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Jonathan A. Lesser, PhD, is the president of Continental Economics, an economic consulting firm, and an adjunct fellow with the Manhattan Institute. Based on a recent MI issue brief.

This piece originally appeared in National Review