Right Truth

Leading Solar Panel Maker In China Declares Bankruptcy

By Bernie at Planck's Constant:

China has lessons for Marxists the world over regarding government subsidized Solar energy (are you listening Obama?) - even with the largest building boom (1) in world history, there is not enough profit to be made to keep a solar panel company in business, despite China's generous handouts and loans.

Leading solar panel maker in China declares bankruptcy
Photo Credit: Xinhua/Shen Peng

In the photo above taken on 26 Sep 2011, a worker forklifts solar panel products at Suntech Power in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province. China's leading solar panel maker, a New York-listed private company based in Wuxi, declared bankruptcy on 20 Mar 2013 (2).

As well, a few days later, German car parts supplier Bosch announced it would discontinue its solar panel manufacturing business (3).

This will not deter our President from making more investments in green energy businesses that will ultimately fail. Despite state and government subsidies, promises of lower utility rates to encourage voters to accept these projects have not panned out; even the U.S. Department of Energy experts in the matter say that solar costs three and a half times that of coal. Indeed, rates for electricity in Boulder City, Colorado did in fact increase (4).

I can't figure out which is the greater hoax: that subsidizing green energy is good for our country or that Obama is not a Marxist.

(4):

Nevada Journal, 20 mAR 2012, Obama to tout green energy ‘investments’ at solar facility employing 5 workers, relying on $54 million in taxpayer subsidies

President Obama will tout investments in “renewable” energy Wednesday at the local Copper Mountain Solar 1 plant, although the plant has only five full-time employees.

The plant, owned by San Diego-based energy company Sempra, was built in late 2010 at a cost of $141 million. Funding included $42 million in federal-government tax credits and $12 million in tax-rebate commitments from the state of Nevada.

...

Solar 1 is the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the country and is regarded as a “revenue generator” by Sempra. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Boulder City expects to receive over $60 million in lease revenue from the plant.

...

In addition to wanting to create many new jobs, President Obama has claimed green-energy investment will decrease America’s energy costs and reduce the country’s dependency on foreign oil.

In Boulder City, however, renewables have produced no lower energy costs. Instead, in late 2009, the city approved a 35 percent rate hike, while power generated by Copper Mountain is to go to Southern California — rather than serve Nevadans whose taxes helped finance the plant.

...

Nationally, solar energy is unlikely to help the president achieve his goal of lower energy costs. Geoffrey Lawrence, deputy policy director at the Nevada Policy Research Institute, the free-market think tank that publishes Nevada Journal, noted in his Solutions 2013 report that, even according to the U.S. Department of Energy, solar-PV energy will cost three and a half times more than energy from traditional sources such as coal.

 

(posted here with permission - go leave Bernie a comment here)

 

Yesterday the Middle East changed forever, and you didn’t know it

Via Legal Insurrection:

Israel now is pumping natural gas from one of the enormous offshore fields which will transform Israel into an energy-independent nation and a global energy powerhouse:

Natural gas from the offshore Tamar field was pumped to Israeli shores for the first time Saturday, four years after its discovery, in preparation for its first use in the Israeli energy market — a move that could transform the Israeli economy.

The Tamar deposit, discovered in 2009 some 90 kilometers west of Haifa, holds an estimated 8.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

On Saturday, hailed an “important day for the Israeli economy” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, natural gas from the field was being pumped to a newly erected facility on the coast of Ashdod, connected to the gas field via pipelines laid out on the ocean floor, 150 kilometers long and 16 inches wide.

Commenting on the historic development, Netanyahu drew a link between the event and the holiday of Passover.

“On the festival of freedom, we are taking an important step toward energy independence. We have advanced the natural gas sector in Israel over the last decade, which will be good for the Israeli economy and for all Israelis,” Netanyahu said.

(continue at Legal Insurrection)

 

Obama Agriculture Secretary: Rural America “Becoming Less And Less Relevant”…

Except for the taxes we pay, the food and cattle and dairy we produce, the oil and coal we produce, and on and on and on...

Via Zip:

Or as Obama calls them, bitter clingers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has some harsh words for rural America: It’s “becoming less and less relevant,” he says.

A month after an election that Democrats won even as rural parts of the country voted overwhelmingly Republican, the former Democratic governor of Iowa told farm belt leaders this past week that he’s frustrated with their internecine squabbles and says they need to be more strategic in picking their political fights.

“It’s time for us to have an adult conversation with folks in rural America,” Vilsack said in a speech at a forum sponsored by the Farm Journal. “It’s time for a different thought process here, in my view.”

He said rural America’s biggest assets – the food supply, recreational areas and energy, for example – can be overlooked by people elsewhere as the U.S. population shifts more to cities, their suburbs and exurbs.

“Why is it that we don’t have a farm bill?” Vilsack said. “It isn’t just the differences of policy. It’s the fact that rural America with a shrinking population is becoming less and less relevant to the politics of this country, and we had better recognize that and we better begin to reverse it.”

 

 

Two Videos: Highlights of what Obama and the Democrats really believe on domestic and foreign issues, and Israel

Watch to the end, but don't miss the part starting after the 1:00 mark.  Hat tip Flopping Aces.

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The following video , roughly 20-minute YouTube video analyzing President Obama’s relationship with Israel, narrated by a 23-year-old former Obama supporter, that has gone viral,  is from The Blaze.  ‘Obama and the Threat to Israel’: See the ‘Absolutely Uncertain’ Video That’s Gotten 650K Hits in Three Days.

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A Fracking Good Story

While I disagree with the premise that carbon cuts are needed now more than ever and the premise that droughts and heat waves are a harbinger of our future, the article is good:

(Slate.com)  Weather conditions around the world this summer have provided ample fodder for the global warming debate. Droughts and heat waves are a harbinger of our future, carbon cuts are needed now more than ever, and yet meaningful policies have not been enacted.

But, beyond this well-trodden battlefield, something amazing has happened: Carbon-dioxide emissions in the United States have dropped to their lowest level in 20 years. Estimating on the basis of data from the US Energy Information Agency from the first five months of 2012, this year’s expected CO2 emissions have declined by more than 800 million tons, or 14 percent from their peak in 2007.

The cause is an unprecedented switch to natural gas, which emits 45 percent less carbon per energy unit. The U.S. used to generate about half its electricity from coal, and roughly 20 percent from gas. Over the past five years, those numbers have changed, first slowly and now dramatically: In April of this year, coal’s share in power generation plummeted to just 32 percent, on par with gas.

America’s rapid switch to natural gas is the result of three decades of technological innovation, particularly the development of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” which has opened up large new resources of previously inaccessible shale gas. Despite some legitimate concerns about safety, it is hard to overstate the overwhelming benefits.

For starters, fracking has caused gas prices to drop dramatically. Adjusted for inflation, natural gas has not been this cheap for the past 35 years, with the price this year three to five times lower than it was in the mid-2000s. And, while a flagging economy may explain a small portion of the drop in U.S. carbon emissions, the EIA emphasizes that the major explanation is natural gas.  (continue reading at Slate, hat tip Marcus Wilder)

 

 

Professional “Enviro” Groups Intend to Shut Down Pebble Mine Project

Via Beth Shaw:

The well-heeled environmental activists are at it again. They are claiming a victory from a letter writing campaign to oppose the Pebble Mine Project in Alaska, when in fact their results were rather embarrassing. Out of millions of letters sent to their supporters, only 6% bothered to take the few moments to click a link to send a form letter to the Environmental Protection Agency. That 6% comes from the millions of members of various environmental groups that received the emails. Instead of announcing the percentage of respondents, they report the number of respondents and claim 'overwhelming support'.

Meanwhile, the Native Alaskans and other local villagers have not been able to get their voices heard. Ten of the 12 Alaska Native Corporations, village corporations, tribal governments, state leadership and local leaders have asked to give the opportunity for jobs and economic viability in their area a chance (as opposed to pre-emptively striking down the project). They have also asked for an extension of the commenting period since this is the working season for Alaskans, but their requests have been refused.

How can Native Alaskans and local residents compete with the wealthy and powerful 'green' lobbying groups from the lower-48 who want their homes lands to use as their personal playgrounds? They can't unless we help get the message out to the public and counteract the propaganda being put out by the environmentalists activists.

Your willingness to help pass along this information has been making a difference. Let's keep up the pressure to stop the job-killing regulatory policies of Obama's EPA!

Read more here and here.

Please blog, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ the story. On Twitter you can use the hash tags #YesPebble and #GivePebbleAChance

Keep up with us at Resourceful Earth, on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

305th and 306th Expeditionary Airlift Squadrons To Support Obama Campaign?

Partially true.  There is an email going around that says "the United States Air Force has established two new aircraft squadrons to support President Obama's travel needs during the campaign season". 

It sounded a little strange to me so I did some checking.  Apparently this isn't a new thing and it isn't just for Barack Obama.  According to DC Military, the squadrons were re-activated in 2003 under a provisional status for Air Mobility Command's Banner Express Mission. They commenced operations in April 2012 and will deactivate in late November, when the campaign is over.

Below is the article from DCMilitary.com on December 11, 2011.  One thing I noticed that seemed very strange is the claim that by using these squadrons the administration is being good stewards of taxpayer funds and that during the 2004 election season, Banner Express operations saved more than $18 million, largely from fuel savings.  What a crock.

Perhaps we should be more worried about the $80 Million it costs US citizens every time Air Force One lands & takes off.  Barack Obama takes off in Air Force One on an average every other day of the year.  This doesn't count Michelle Obama flying on the other Air Force One.  More details on Airforce One costs at SodaHead.

From DC Military.com:

The 89th Airlift Wing activated the 305th and 306th Expeditionary Airlift Squadrons here Dec. 1.

The squadrons will play an integral role supporting presidential airlift in the coming months, through a mission known as "Banner Express."

"The Banner Express mission provides dedicated assets to our highest priority airlift - presidential support, 'said Col Allan Hess, 89th Operations Group commander. "Air Mobility Command accomplishes this during election years by standing up two squadrons, C-17s based here, and C-130s based in Wilmington, Del." (image: U.S. Air Force Photo/Maj. Michelle LaiCol. Allan Hess, 89th Operations Group commander, activates the 306th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here Dec. 1.)

Aircraft and personnel are pre-positioned to support an expected surge in airlift so the Air Force is postured to more efficiently and effectively meet the needs of the commander in chief while remaining good stewards of taxpayer funds. During the 2004 election season, Banner Express operations saved more than $18 million, largely from fuel savings.

'Green' Transport Idea Is Expensive Folly

By Christian Wüst, Spiegel Online

The German engineering giant Siemens is researching the idea of using overhead electricity lines to power truck traffic. But the state-supported project makes no sense. It would cost billions to implement -- and only lead to higher fuel consumption and more pollution.

One of the most tenacious dumb ideas within the automotive industry is the claim that what electric cars really need to be successful are overhead power lines. The logic, at least, isn't difficult to follow: When it comes to power, cars need a lot of it, batteries store too little of it, and overhead lines can supply it. (images here)

Now Siemens, the German electrical and engineering giant as well as the country's leading rail-technology company, hopes to carry over the best features of rail technology to road traffic. The company has outfitted two heavy-duty Mercedes trucks with electric current collectors and a modified drivetrain capable of operating with two different systems. When an overhead line is available, these prototypes run on electricity alone, much like electric locomotives. When there's no overhead line, a diesel engine kicks in, powering a generator that continues to supply the electric system with power.

Germany's Ministry for the Environment (BMU) saw enough green potential in this hybrid truck to channel over €2 million ($2.5 million) in federal funding to the project. Siemens used the funds to help set up its first test track at an obsolete military airport north of Berlin. Overhead lines run above and along the roughly 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) track, supplying energy to the trucks whirring steadily along below. (continue reading at Spiegel Online, hat tip Marcus Wilder)

 

The above is almost -- almost -- as crazy as the 'green navy' the United States has launched - the Great Green Fleet.  Blackfive asks:

This sort of stuff drives me crazy.  Why is Secretary of the Navy Mabus fooling around with this sort of nonsense under the guise of being “necessary for national defense” when we’re in the middle of a oil shale revolution that shows the US with the most proven oil reserves in the world?  Secondly and just as important, why during times of tight budgets is he willing to pay $27 dollars for biofuel when conventional fuel costs $3.60?

 

Obama  is forcing his “green energy” agenda upon the U.S. Navy by forcing all non-nuclear powered vessels to use “bio-fuel.”  (Noisy Room)

This month, a carrier strike group that is headed to the Pacific for a six-week multinational naval exercise off the coast of Hawaii, will have its non-nuclear powered escort vessels, which include a destroyer and a tanker, use a newly formulated 50-50 mixture of standard [diesel] fuel, and a cocktail of seeds, algae and chicken fat, according to a July 2, 2012 FOXNews article.

A Navy official stated that operating the so-called “Great Green Fleet” on this blend of alternative and conventional fuel is part of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus’ plan to have half the Navy fleet on alternative fuel by 2020.

Not so fast.

What will really ‘affect the readiness’ of our Navy is it having to file for bankruptcy–because this biofuel mixture was confirmed to cost $26 a gallon–more than seven times the $3.60 a gallon cost for conventional fuel.

First, naval vessels and other such massive ships measure their fuel usage by the ton, probably because the numeric value in gallons would not fit within the quantity field of an invoice.

More importantly, because President Barack Obama has already ordered $478 billion stripped from the Pentagon Budget already (but hasn’t touched a dime of entitlement programs), if the idiotic, automatic Super-Committee “sequester” budget cuts of another half-trillion dollars are allowed to take affect, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta isn’t confident that we can even maintain our fighting forces–particularly the Navy patrolling international waters protecting sea lanes all over the world.  (continue reading at Noisy Room)

 

Last but not least by any means is this article from the New York Times "The Most Sensible Tax of All", which I cannot understand.  There must be a catch that I'm not seeing.  Sounds like pure propaganda to me.  It helps to know the authors of the article:  Yoram Bauman, an environmental economist, is a fellow at Sightline Institute in Seattle. Shi-Ling Hsu, a law professor at Florida State University, is the author of “The Case for a Carbon Tax.”.

You read it and let me know:

ON Sunday, the best climate policy in the world got even better: British Columbia’s carbon tax — a tax on the carbon content of all fossil fuels burned in the province — increased from $25 to $30 per metric ton of carbon dioxide, making it more expensive to pollute.

This was good news not only for the environment but for nearly everyone who pays taxes in British Columbia, because the carbon tax is used to reduce taxes for individuals and businesses. Thanks to this tax swap, British Columbia has lowered its corporate income tax rate to 10 percent from 12 percent, a rate that is among the lowest in the Group of 8 wealthy nations. Personal income taxes for people earning less than $119,000 per year are now the lowest in Canada, and there are targeted rebates for low-income and rural households.

The only bad news is that this is the last increase scheduled in British Columbia. In our view, the reason is simple: the province is waiting for the rest of North America to catch up so that its tax system will not become unbalanced or put energy-intensive industries at a competitive disadvantage.

The United States should jump at the chance to adopt a similar revenue-neutral tax swap. It’s an opportunity to reduce existing taxes, clean up the environment and increase personal freedom and energy security.  (continue reading at NYT, hat tip Marcus Wilder)

 

Seems like the loonies are winning the battle unfortunately.

 

 

The EPA's Selective Hearing

Via Resourceful Earth:

It seems that the EPA is continuing it's massive power grab by picking and choosing whose voices will be heard in the debate over the development of resources within the United States. Case in point, once again the concerns of Native Alaskans living near the development of the Pebble Mine Project are being ignored while the EPA continues to threaten a preemptive veto of the entire project.

Trefon Angasan, board chairman of Alaska Peninsula Corp., a grouping of Alaska Native villages, say: “We should have a consultation established with the EPA, and we don’t. We have been excluded from the development of that watershed assessment.”

Environmental activists and the EPA are using their power to block jobs and business in an economically devastated area. Those in the area who hope for the infusion of opportunity to their area are likening it to 'cultural genocide' but do not have the power or resources to make themselves heard. If the EPA is able to 'Keystone' this project then they will be able to do it anywhere. Both corporate and private properties will be at the mercy of the whims of the radical environmentalists through the enormous power of the EPA.

Read more here.

You can help by signing a letter, which will send an official comment to the EPA requesting that they extend the commenting period on Pebble, which is too short for a thoughtful discussion on this issue: Sign the letter here.

Please blog, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ the story. On Twitter you can use the hash tags #YesPebble and #GivePebbleAChance

Keep up with us at Resourceful Earth, on Facebook and Twitter. 

Move over handicapped parking...

Make room for Fuel Efficient Vehicle Parking.  Sweet hubby and I took a trip on the motorcycle today, stopping at Johnsonville State Historic Park, the 600-acre park on the eastern side of Kentucky Lake that overlooks the site of the Battle of Johnsonville.  The Park has a new visitor center which has only been open for one month. 

As we pulled into the parking area we could not help but notice that the first 4 parking slots on one side were not for Handicapped Parking.  Those prized parking places were reserved for Fuel Efficient Vehicle Parking. (click images to enlarge)

I'm imagining a battle between the Left-Wing kooks over who should get those spots, handicapped people or their cause fuel efficient cars.  Apparently the fuel efficient cars won the battle saying 'screw you' to the handicapped.  (Well, not really, there were handicapped spots right in front of the entrance, but can't you imagine the agrument??? tee hee)

We did enjoy the visitor center, the movie about the battle, the great motorcycle ride and dinner at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen.

About the park:

Johnsonville State Historic Park is named for Tennessean Andrew Johnson, Union Military Governor during the Civil War and Seventeenth President of the United States. This 2000-acre park located in Humphreys County, commemorates the site of the Battle of Johnsonville and the historic town site that existed from 1864-1944 prior to the formation of Kentucky Lake.

At Johnsonville on November 4, 1864, Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry took up artillery positions on the western bank of the Tennessee River. Forrest’s confederates sank four Federal gunboats and transports and finished out the day by destroying the Union supply depot at Johnsonville. This Confederate victory, however, was too late. As a result, Union General William T. Sherman managed to cut his own supply lines (including Johnsonville) and instead commence living “off the land” as his troops left Atlanta and embarked on his famous march through Georgia.

Two large forts, the Upper and lower Redoubts, located in the park are open to visitors. Additionally, Original Union breastworks (rifle pits) are beautifully preserved throughout the park in various areas. Visitors may contact the park’s Welcome Center to schedule Interpretive tours by calling (931) 535-2789.

Look for these new Fuel Efficient Vehicle Parking signs to be popping up across the nation.  See more about Johnsonville State Historic Park here.

It was another wonderful day.  Sweet hubby and I have had a lifetime of wonderful days and I'm so thankful.