Trump's wind energy assault sinks permitting reform - Senate Environment & Public Works Committee

[thought crime]

10. The climate deniers' talking point that renewables are "intermittent"

and therefore require redundant fossil fuel (or nuclear) back ups. Trump actually uses this in his war on windmills.

Nothing personal, but it's a frequent ploy of deniers to push the idea that climate activists want to immediately remove all fossil fuels or that renewables will require fossil fuels, forever. The real situation is not static.

Just as a commitment to using nuclear power requires an understanding that there will be a long period of transition during build-out, a commitment to renewables includes a transition before fossil fuels are completely eliminated. Currently, there may be redundant systems using fossil fuels but as renewable systems become more advanced, effective, and widespread there will be capacity for Power To X (P2X) converting wind/solar energy to an intermediate form for storage and use as a clean fuel in an electrical generation system. Conversion to hydrogen has already been demonstrated and China is building an offshore wind system that will produce hydrogen without desalination. This increases efficiency and eliminates brine waste. Japan has developed a liquid hydrogen carrying ship to transport hydrogen from a Coal fired hydrogen generating plant in Australia to Japan. This technology will be used just as well to transport from P2X Wind Farms that will export hydrogen to market. Recyclable turbine blades are being developed, too. If you are skeptical, you probably just haven't paid much attention to the tremendous amount of innovation in this fast growing industry.

An ultimate wind system appears to be a Floating Offshore Wind Farm located far from shore to mitigate NIMBY concerns and in strong wind ocean zones such as off the Pacific Coast and Hawaii (trade winds that I am joyously experiencing at this very moment. ). Floating Offshore Solar Farms are being developed, too.

One reason for the fast growth of renewables is the flexibility of design, construction and location that makes the systems ideal in developing countries and island nations, and marginal spaces. The same advantage will allow some developing nations to become major hydrogen exporters in the future.

Of course, we are just observers but I think Trump is wrong in his war on wind. The hydrogen bus has left the station.