But, they just wanted to heal the planet, save it from evil mankind, which is killing the planet with trace amounts of a gas necessary for life! And, shockingly, the NY Times covers it: A U.S.-Backed Geothermal Plant in Nevada Struggles
In a remote desert spot in northern Nevada, there is a geothermal plant run by a politically connected clean energy start-up that has relied heavily on an Obama administration loan guarantee and is now facing financial turmoil.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, did the Fish Wrap just slap Obama with a dead fish for crony capitalism?
The company is Nevada Geothermal Power, which like Solyndra, the now-famous California solar company, is struggling with debt after encountering problems at its only operating plant.
After a series of technical missteps that are draining Nevada Geothermal’s cash reserves, its own auditor concluded in a filing released last week that there was “significant doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.â€
Well, shocker!
It is a description that echoes the warning issued in 2010 by auditors hired by Solyndra, which benefited from the same Energy Department loan guarantee before its collapse in August caused the Obama administration great embarrassment.
The parallels between the companies illustrate the risk inherent in building the clean energy marketplace in the United States, government officials and industry experts say. Indeed, the loan guarantee program exists precisely because none of these ventures are a sure bet.
So, private investors aren’t streaming to back projects which are extremely risky and will more than likely lose tons of money, then close shop and move to China? Shocker!
The amount of money the federal government has at stake with Nevada Geothermal — a loan guarantee of $79 million plus at least $66 million in grants — is much smaller than the $528 million investment in Solyndra. There have been no allegations of wrongdoing by Nevada Geothermal or its Blue Mountain, Nev., plant.
Only when we’re speaking of the federal government can $145 million (fixed from billion) dollars be considered chump change.
This is the folly of the green energy mantra: it cannot survive without massive influxes of Someone Else’s money, it can’t turn a profit, and it eventually folds when things don’t go perfect right, and they have to be politically connected. Kinda like Air America, and we all knew how that turned out.
But, I’ll say it again: we do need to look at alternative energy sources, especially ones that will be cleaner and, if not cheaper, at least at the same cost as we have with coal, petroleum based, and nuclear. I have no problem with this. But, we shouldn’t dump money into projects and ideas that are not ready for primetime. Consider, from the NY Times, as well
This year, both California and New Jersey — two states that have aggressively embraced renewable energy — put their small-turbine incentives programs on hold, at least temporarily, after problems surfaced.
In New Jersey, the issue was defects in a few turbines, according to Mr. Flowers. In California, “some scammers figured out some loopholes in the program,†said Mr. Bergey, who is also the president of the Distributed Wind Energy Association. Effectively, he said, they found a way to qualify for rebates that were higher than the cost of the equipment. “The market has literally stopped there,†said Mr. Bergey, referring to California. “We’re hoping it will get going again shortly.â€
So, the taxpayer subsidized turbines and projects were not built correctly and there are tons of scammers? Not that purely private projects are perfect, but, when government money, ie, some other chump’s taxes, is being used, issues show up.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU. Please sign the drill now petition.
Only when we’re speaking of the federal government can $145 billion dollars be considered chump change.
No offense, but shouldn’t that be “million?”
Still not chump change though.
See, I’m so used to them wating billions it even stuck in my head. Fixing.
Actually, the typo highlights something that politicians and people forget.
Yeah, it would be good to eliminate “billions” and even “trillions” in waste. We should jump for joy when that occurs.
But millions do add up to billions. And billions add up to trillions.
Many state and federal individual offices don’t have budgets in the “billions,” but if each office can eliminate millions (or even thousands) in waste and fraud, that will add up – and add up fast.
(I was going to use the Dick Dirkson quote here but we all know it.)
Seriously though, in some ways I think the desire for a “quick fix,” “silver bullet,” “7 minute news segments,” and “10 second sound bites” hurts our ability to reduce spending and get the government’s budgets under control.
When a spokesman says “we saved 20 million dollars,” people often yawn in the context of the total budget. Even the $479 million wasted on Solyandra sounds a whole lot bigger when said as “almost a half of a billion dollars.”
Whether the waste in this case was $145 billion or $145 million, it is still too much money to waste. Any of it that is saved or should not have been spent is important because the principle of wasteful spending and “crony capitalism” in play is what is important and not the size of the amount.
Every dime spent on renewable by our government is waste.
The economic, business model for Messianic Green Energy relies on false premises. Not only have they lost the war for public opinion but the necessary requisites for green industry to be viable even with mandates, subsidies and import protections have failed to materialize. The failure to get a global climate treaty in Copenhagen or pass cap and trade dooms green energy no matter what level of funding government is willing to provide.