Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy has issued an emergency order directing increased use of power plants and, as a last resort, backup generators to protect electricity service across a 17-state region during extreme summer demand. The order notes that grid operators warned of high peak loads and "potential low output from wind and other variable energy resources" and "the potential for lower wind and solar" during hot weather conditions.
"Leftists continually push wind and solar as the future of energy, but when electricity is needed most, they fail to answer the call," said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director of Power The Future. "Every politician and eco-leftist who cheered when a dependable coal or natural gas plant shut down should feel ashamed for the dangerous energy situation they helped create. Families should never face the threat of blackouts because political leaders valued green promises more than a reliable electric grid."
Last year, Power The Future released The Looming American Electricity Affordability Crisis, warning that the retirement of reliable and dispatchable energy and its replacement with intermittent wind and solar would leave the country with a more expensive and less reliable electric system unable to meet peak demand. The report called on policymakers to halt premature plant closures, build new reliable generation and expand the use of America's existing coal fleet. DOE's latest emergency order demonstrates exactly why dependable power plants cannot be replaced by promises that depend on the weather.
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