Renewable Energy Is The Future! #358

By Hank Silverberg

Go outside. Feel the sun and wind on your face. That is our future. Solar and wind power, along with other types of renewable energy is the future of this planet. There is an unwillingness on the part of the Trump Administration to accept this, and they are doing everything they can to kill a decades- old effort to bring more solar and wind power into the grid. But in reality, fossil fuel will soon be a thing of the past.

(yourhome.gov.au)

The chart below lays out the world supply of fossil fuel calculated five years ago. So if you have a child who is ten now, by the time he is old enough to retire, the world supply of oil and natural gas will be gone if consumption continues at current rates without alternatives.

Years of fossil fuel reserves left, 2020

Years of global coal, oil and natural gas left, reported as the reserves-to-product (R/P) ratio which measures the number of years ofproduction left based on known reserves and present annual production levels. Note that these values can change with time based on thediscovery of new reserves, and changes in annual production.

Not too many people putting windmills in their back yard, but the move towards roof-based solar panels in neighborhoods across the country is growing. Here in Virginia, the power companies like Dominion Energy are actually encouraging it. I signed up this past week to have 13 solar panels installed on the roof of my home. They will produce enough power to serve my home, and maybe a little extra for the grid. To be clear, I'm still hooked up to the power grid in case there are many rainy or cloudy days. A company called Ion will install the panels for free, and I will pay them about $84 a month for the electricity based on my home's prior use, about $30 or $40 less per month than I have been, paying on average to Dominion. I still have to pay $8.00 a month to stay connected to the grid, but it's worth it.

The power company is doing this because of a rise in demand, mostly fueled by those huge DATA centers springing up all along the east coast that demand large amounts of power.

The more solar panels on homes, the less likely Dominion will have to build a new power plant, the cost of which consumers would be paid for though higher rates.

At the same time, Dominion has a huge wind power project under construction off the coast of Virginia that should be powering 660,000 homes by late next year.

But, the Trump Administration's attack on renewable energy is making things harder. Last month the federal government withdrew $39 million in money meant for a facility in Norfolk designed to support

the Dominion wind project, part of more than $700 million in cuts to various wind energy projects across the country.

(Courtesy, Dominion Power)

The Republican-controlled Congress has also removed a series of tax credits which had been designed to help people purchase solar panels for their homes. It expires at the end of the year.

To put this in perspective, all of this is not just about cheaper electricity. It's also about national security.

At the U.N. Climate Summit in New York last week, China's president made it clear that his country is now leading the way on renewable energy. China invested $625 billion in clean energy last year, about a third of what is being spent around the world.

As the world supply of fossil fuel diminishes, countries like China, which have been developing other energy sources, will have a political and economic edge over everyone else.

https://www.wtkr.com/news/environment/trump-admin-cuts-39m-from-norfolks-fairwinds-landing-offshore-wind-logistics-center

https://virginiabusiness.com/dominion-coastal-virginia-offshore-wind-2026/

https://www.wired.com/story/china-clean-energy-un-climate-summit-goals/

News You May Have Missed!

Seventy million Americans who get Social Security are going to have to wait a bit longer to find out what the scheduled cost of living adjustment (COLA) is for 2026. The folks who do the math and make the announcement at the Bureau of Labor Statistics can't do so because of the government shutdown. The COLA was supposed to come out

this week, but now it's been pushed back until October 24th. It's determined by the Consumer Price Index, which reflects inflation and the spending habits of younger workers on things like housing, groceries and healthcare. The Senior Citizens League told Newsweek the latest projection for the COLA was 2.7%. The longer the shutdown, the more delay in deciding on the COLA for 2026.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/new-social-security-cola-announcement-date-confirmed/ar-AA1Ok90f?ocid=BingNewsBrowse

Blooming Desert

The Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on Earth, was awash with flowers this week. The rare bloom was triggered by a combination of the right temperature, sunlight and heavy rainfall tied to the El Nino Oscillation Climate patterns.

(Credit Abriendomundo/Shutterstock.com)

The desert usually gets about .08 inches of rain most years, but some higher elevations received about 2.3 inches in July and August, bringing out a carpet of fuchsia-colored flowers at the Llanos de Chaile National Park. This has only happened about 15 times over the last 40 years, but apparently the pattern is changing because it has happened three times since 2015. With summer approaching in South America, the bloom will probably only last until early November, though some drought resistance species could last until January.

Dumbest Quote of The Week!

This week's dumb quote comes from Vice President J.D. Vance. Appearing on ABC's This Week he was asked if he agreed with President Trump that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker should be put in jail. Vance's answer:

"I think Governor Pritzker has failed to keep the people of Illinois safe. Governor Pritzker has allowed a lot of people to be killed and I think he should suffer the consequences because thousands and thousands of innocent Chicagoans are dead."

So here are some actual facts: The number of murders in Chicago was 3,900 between 2018 and 2023, with the homicide rate down 25% in 2024-25. There has also been a 31% drop in shootings in 2025 compared to 2024.

Pritzker has been Governor since January of 2019.

Implying that a politician should be put in jail because of a failure to eliminate or vastly reduce crime is ridiculous, especially when it comes from someone convicted of a felony himself (Trump). It is this kind of exaggeration and allegation that makes this administration look incompetent and almost comical if the issues were not so serious. And Mr. Vance is no exception.

(You suggestions and comments are welcome)

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)