Renewable Manifesto



At this moment, this is a humble project Mark Cojuangco and I are beginning since we are concerned with the chaotic way in which renewable energy expenditures are being made in some countries. We are worried that this undisciplined approach may propagate, unchecked, to the rest of the world and do more harm than good.

In particular, we could see important increases in electricity prices, reductions in investment / maintenance of our current reliable generators / electrical grids, and negative environmental impacts. Plus, all of these consequences may be for little, if any, reductions is CO2 emissions. 

Thus, we thought about creating a "Renewable Manifesto." This is the first draft. Feel free to contribute to it / criticize it on Twitter.



Renewable Manifesto

1. We are not opposed in principle to renewables.* Every technology should be allowed to compete on its merits in the global energy markets. Governments should not select winners / losers from their ivory towers. 
2. Renewables are already quite mature technologies, so no overt / covert subsidies should be assigned to their manufacture / installation. 
3. Renewables shouldn't be granted priority access to the grid by default, and if they require it, a just compensatory fee should be agreed upon with the conventional grid operators. 
4. Market prices should be paid for their energy output; no premiums here. 
5. If at any particular moment (say, at off-peak hours) there is no market for their electricity, then their output should be curtailed. "Dumping" into the electrical grid won't be allowed.
6. Renewables won't have a "free pass" concerning environmental impacts. Just like any other industrial power source, Renewable projects should be fully environmentally vetted.
7. Renewable companies should give reassurances that they will take care of the decommissioning costs of their wind / solar farms. 

 Again, we are not against renewables, but we definitely believe at this stage of the game they have to stand on their own two feet and make economic sense without further government help.

Thank you.


* By "renewables" we mean mainly Solar PV and Wind Turbines. Hydro has been and will continue to be a massive, reliable energy source. On the other hand, we should be very wary of "biomass." A full disclosure of what is being considered here, and its environmental effects, should be demanded. 





  

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