Here’s the headline at Renewable Energy World that got my hopes up – Wind Industry Fires Back, Calls for RES

But no, the “group of wind energy executives as well as the CEO of the American Wind Energy Association called on the U.S. Congress today to quickly enact a strong federal renewable energy standard,” didn’t include performance standards for their industry.  You know, that they might actually have to produce electricity at some minimal level, on demand, without requiring coal, natural gas and nuclear to ramp up and down to support the horrible fluctuation brought to the grid by the unreliable wind.

Heck, they weren’t even asking for standards that would require members of the AWEA to demonstrate that they were actually producing anything at all.

Worse, after all the hoopla about reducing greenhouse emissions and closing fossil fueled plants these executives and the AWEA official didn’t beg Congress for the opportunity to prove the results by reporting any of their successes.

This crowd keeps tossing jobs into their mom and apple pie presentations.  Their success in actually producing any is continually questioned.

So, what the heck is an RES?

The American Wind Energy Association answers thusly:

The Renewable Electricity Standard (RES), also known as a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), is a flexible, market-driven policy that enables renewable energy sources, such as wind, to provide the clean, reliable, domestic power the U.S. needs. An RES ensures that

some amount of renewable energy is included in the portfolio of electricity resources serving a state or country.

25% Renewable Electricity by 2025

A national standard of 25 percent renewable-based electricity by the year 2025 offers a least-cost, marketfriendly way to ensure that we meet an increasing share of America’s growing electricity needs with clean, domestic energy resources.  Wind and other renewable energy sources are currently available, rapidly deployable and cost-effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Of course, I don’t know how a Congressionally mandated requirement becomes a “market driven” policy, but then I don’t know how the AWEA continues to claim reductions in emissions yet offers no concrete evidence to prove that is occurring.

Anyway … if something changes and the wind industry asks Congress to pass real standards that will require the industry to pay its own way, drop me a line.  Otherwise, I’ll keep hoping to see jobs created in industries where the salaries don’t require such a heavy cost of consumers and taxpayers.  We have enough government workers and, frankly, a job associated with this industry’s record of little real contribution to the public good, borders on government work.

No offense to the excellent construction workers.