Juice: Why Wind and Solar Make Our Power Grid Less Reliable 

You just know Stossel is spot on when Wikipedia tries to debunk him at the top of the page

Nothing is so addictive as spending other people’s money.

I retired after 45 years in the electric utility industry. There is not a single person in my circle of electric friends and acquaintances who think you can supply this country's electrical needs solely with renewable energy - and that is a group with thousands of years of practical utility experience, including engineers, accountants, managers, finance people, power plant operators, line crew, etc, etc, etc. But I guess if Biden, AOC, and Gavin Newsome think we can, then who are we to disagree....

When the people that talk about renewables fly in private jets, and have yachts, I will seek my information elsewhere.

Getting something for free is the entire platform of the party that runs California

Politicians don't know anything about energy, so why are they allowed to make policies based upon their ignorance?

The fact that RU-vid added a "context" tag to this video shows how strong their grift truly is.

How do you tell when a politician is lying? His mouth is open.

Our government is so pathetic it’s scary. And i never thought id see the so many people just entirely refuse to ever admit they were wrong and take responsibility for their actions and policies. They’ve destroyed so much chasing a dream that THEY KNEW would never be anything close to a reality. The amount of corruption and idiocy is breathtaking.

It was only ever a virtue signal. Based on faulty data and emotional reasoning.

I've worked in the energy business for 50 years. John Stossel is right on point. Everything. Give us hydro and nuclear. And clean coal fire plants.

"how well do solar panels work in the snow? not well", my goodness, I love it.

John, I'm a tree farmer in Maine. An energy group wants min. 10 acres to lease for 99 years for a Solar Farm. I keep saying hell No. Only I cut down trees selectively.

The Wikipedia context box is always an indication of how true it is

I have lived in Northern California all my life. I'm 35 years old, married, no kids yet, small business owner and my wife also works full time. We make about 140k a year combined and live in a rented 1 bedroom apartment and drive a $5000 car. Last month's power bill was $350. Again, this is for a 1 bedroom apartment, we live by the coast where it only gets down into the low 40s at night. I just got a notification from the county that they're having public meetings to consider how to accelerate the electrification of our county. This is in no way sustainable. I, like many other Californians, may have to eventually make the choice to leave for the good of my family. I love my home but forcing all of the logical and productive people to leave the state will be to its ultimate detriment.

Whenever I see the RU-vid context warning, I know the information in the video must be 100% true.

Everyone NEEDS to listen to Milton Friedman. The minute govt wants to help you, you are screwed. Government meddling drives up cost of living.

It is enough to look at your electricity bill to see that renewable energy is not working. the more renewable energy, the higher the electricity bill, and this is clearly seen throughout Europe.

There's apparently legislation down the pipeline in CA that will "solve" the rising cost of electricity by changing energy bills to be flat rates based on income bracket rather than how much electricity the household is using. There will surely be zero negative side effects of this.

Politicians aren't engineers. Texas had a winter grid disaster a few years ago. People froze to death.

The sails of a wind turbine are fibre glass and get burried in the ground when the turbine is too old to be used.

Don't forget the mythical batteries of the future that will store all the renewable energy we need for Winter.

thank God there's a link to the UN's climate change website. I couldn't have lived without it. Thank you youtube.

I’ve worked in the power sector for my entire career,including 20 years in the utility biz and 15 with a DOE lab. I focused on getting these renewables online safely and reliably, but they can’t cover 50% let alone 100%!!!

"Politicians should just stop their destructive meddling" 👏👏👏

California also allows PG&E to cut the power when the wind is too high to be safe for their ancient and poorly maintained infrastructure.

As Milton Friedman said, when it isn’t your money, cost and quality are of no concern.

OH COOL Stossel on youtube. I forgot all about John Stossel because we cut cable TV years ago. But Stossel is probably one of the best and maybe one of the last true "journalists" left. SO glad I found this channel and oh yea, I hammered that subscribe button.

It has been my experience that once someone has an idea in their head it is wired into their “hard drive”. Speaking as a retired auto mechanic people have balked at me when I told them their Pontiac Vibe was actually a Toyota Matrix . Or their Chevrolet Tracker was actually a Suzuki. Or their Buick Envision SUV was actually made in China. When I try to explain to them, that wind and solar panel are not yet practical and are not the environmental savior they think they yell at me calling me a “climate denier” The main problem I’ve seen is most people do not have the desire or the inclination to uncover the facts and get real news. After their long, hard day at work or a long hard day negotiating at the welfare office, they are far happier to enjoy the fiction of the nightly broadcasts.

If politicians on either side of the aisle truly cared about clean energy, they would reconsider nuclear power. Some places in the US like South Carolina have had nuclear power plants since the 70s and they have been superior in efficiency and cleanliness and in return the state as a whole is able to meet half of their energy needs by nuclear as a whole.

Biden says: reminder windmills don't cause cancer. No, they do however disrupt the migration of birds, disrupt the migration of enormous sea animals when you know these wind farms are put out at sea, kill countless number of flighted, land, and sea animals. That doesn't even begin to discuss how long these items last, the fact that they are not recyclable, how many non-renewable resources that are in short supply go into each and every one of them, oh yeah and how much oil products are used in the production, shipping, maintenance, and just overall use of each individual windmill. It is insane.

I read about a new solar farm that was built in Nebraska, and a week after it went on line it was destroyed by a hail storm. Our best choice for green energy is nuclear power.

In Britain we famously specialise in dark or cloudy days with little wind, or too much wind. One recent offshore wind tender had no takers because the government were not guaranteeing a high enough rate, despite it being higher than gas.

There is the right way, the wrong way, and the government way - in order. Government involvement always - ALWAYS - makes things worse.

I ran an energy intensive business for 25 years in MN. Even with subsidies for solar, it always made more sense to spend money on conservation and efficiency. If people want to go “green” start with conservation in your own back yard before mandating it for others.

80 year old family friend lives in Bakersfield, CA. He spent a lot of money to install solar panels. Found out rather quickly that solar panels dont work well when they are covered in dust. He was told by the installer to clean the panels twice a day.

John Stossel is a true journalist doing actual unbiased investigatory journalism. How refreshing.

One guy misinterpreted one reading on one control panel on March 28th 1979 and we are still living in the wake of that mistake.

"turn off the gas, cut off the oil, and let 'em all freeze and boil" - from the classic 1979 comedy song "Freeze a Yankee"

0:43 "...the idea that you can get [energy] for nothing..." This nails one of the key reasons why so many people think solar, wind, and other "renewable energy sources" are so amazing. But anyone who has actually researched, or invested in such technology knows better. There is large upfront cost, both economical and environmental, as well as maintenance anytime a part breaks down. I personally bought a solar system at one time and within 2 years it required 3 repairs, and 2 of those repairs involved some of the panels being replaced. I hope to see a day where such technologies are competitive to traditional energy sources, but until then, I would advise anyone wanting to invest in such technologies to make sure they know what they are getting into.

As someone in the power industry I can verify most of what was said through personal experience. The rest makes logical sense and Stossel has a great track record.

Boy, I'm glad I live in a state where we not only have nuclear power, but we're brining MORE nuclear power online!! The first new nuclear power plant in 30+ years in the United States was brought online a few months ago in my state. And another new one is scheduled for just a couple of years from now. Renewable has its place -- but absolutely should NOT be subsidized by the government!

As I've told people for years, if you live in the South and have batteries, solar panels are great. In Minnesota though?! They make no sense.

At the very most, the very most we can get 20% from wind and solar. Now this is with the power structure/system that we now have. This could change but we have a long way to go to have an electrical system that will allow more.

Here in the Netherlands the windmills get more subsidised when build at less windy places.. to compensate.

The windmills are supposed to last 25yrs, but in the state I live in, they are lasting about 12-13yrs. A lot of the money for renewables is going into replacement, which still gets those federal subsidies.

Energy storage like a battery is how you solve the problem of solar not producing energy at night time

The cost of batteries has come down dramatically, from $1200 kwh to $150kwh. By the end of this year, it's going 50% cut again

Nuclear is the future if they allow it

“STOP OIL NOW “, said the 22 year old as he continued to text endlessly on his cell phone.Luckily the airconditioning on his BMW was working but he noticed it was almost empty but he was late meeting his friends at Starbucks for a double chocolate latte and he didn’t want to miss his comrades and their regularly scheduled morning strategy planning session..He new the pressure was on because they had a rally in another state later that weekend and as their spiritual leader he had to attend.His flight was early so he couldn’t take much time since he had to pick up his posters and banners at the print shop and he wasn’t sure he remembered his AMEX card .He’s was afraid he had left it at the nail shop and that wasn’t even near the airport.Luckily the rally had been a huge success.They had halted all travel on a major interstate inconveniencing hundreds of workers and causing chaos and mayhem,which off course was the primary goal of his organization.He was so excited he continued to go crazy on his I phone banging out attacks on fossil fuels although he had almost dropped it in his hot tube out of pure exuberance over the specter of finally putting an end to cheap,reliable energy and ushering in a green new age.

It's only environmentally sustainable if it is economically sustainable. True eco-friendly does not harm people.

A few years ago, I read that when the backup or base load system has to throttle up an down to keep the system in balance as the solar and wind generators come on and off line. When this throttle up and down occurs a heating and cooling of the boilers occurs which reduces the life of boilers due to expansion and contraction. Also it doesn't reduce very much the fuel used by by the base load system that must remain spun up to be able to pick up the load when the unreliables become unreliable. The base load operators also loose money because they only get paid for the power they produce. Without the base load system the power grid system cannot be stable. We need reliable nuclear power for the future and this whole global warming scare is a lie to scare the general public to be more scared of global warming than they are scared of nuclear power. Fossil fuels will run out someday and we do need a good replacement. We could have already been a good way towards that goal if the money spent on wind and solar would have been spent on nuclear power.

Profits ensure good ideas succeed. Subsidies ensure bad ideas are adopted.

The context warning says "Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns." I agree, so we should adapt to use that.

Bought a solar system almost 20 years ago. About 85% was covered by State/Fed. Did it strictly as an investment (when gov’t gives money, take it). But cost of new inverter (they fail) and solar meter was $3K hit. Still got a ROI of 3% mostly from energy credits. Programs today not cost effective, payback period can be 10 years.

Keep fighting the good fight John!!!!

The problem with 'renewables' is energy density & cost. Wind & solar take up A LOT of space. They also cost a fortune relative to their output and length of service. If they were cheap & efficient, California would have the lowest electricity cost in the country.

I live in sunny Queensland, Australia and have 13.3 kW of solar panels on my roof and export excess power to the grid at least 9 hours a day. Even on the cloudiest / rainiest days in Winter, I am still exporting at least 30 kWh to the grid everyday. Most days, I export 40-50 kWh to the grid. Am now looking to add some big batteries (and more solar panels as needed) to charge with excess solar during the day so that I can export 5 kW back to the grid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This will be enough to provide the energy needs of 6 average houses. If I can get my export limit lifted from 5 kW to 15 kW (I need to pay to run 3 phase power lines about 600 yards - a cost of approx $100K), then I will add more solar panels and batteries and export 15 kW back to the grid 24/7, which is enough to provide the energy needs of 18 average houses. If 1 in 18 houses does this, every house in the state can be fully supplied with electricity from solar and batteries. Your arguments that renewable energy cannot provide the required electricity for households are bogus and dumb. I am proving it can be done just with solar and batteries ! If solar panels are placed on suitable roofs of shopping malls, car parks, school buildings, warehouses, industrial buildings, office blocks, etc, then they could go a long way to providing all of the power required by businesses, schools, etc. Your arguments that poor people are subsidising the rich people getting solar are also bogus and dumb. The "rich" people (and those who care about the environment) are footing the first adopters bills (very expensive) of going solar and battery, but thanks to their adoption, the prices are falling fast. The "poor" people will be able to go solar + battery for a very small fraction of the cost because of the "rich" people doing it first. Please get this through your head and stop making such DUMB arguments.

Smoke n mirrors.... Many people can't handle the dirty parts of life.

Its almost like we dont need politicians

Imagine how much better off we’d be if we focused on putting that money into researching how to actually make them efficient and how to produce them for reasonable prices instead of subsidizing crap ones. I’m not saying we should do that, but it’s much better than what we currently do.

"I'm from the government and I'm here to help."😱

❤ greetings from Poland

There is a place for renewable energy, but not when it is being pushed by propaganda and bribes. I put in a DIY solar array for my home office, and it works great, but the ROI on it will take at least 8 years. I didn't do it to "save the planet". If temperatures are rising, which they seem to be, I'm not arrogant enough to claim man is responsible. I put in my system because the grid is less and less reliable, so I wanted a more stable solution. The fact that I learned how this stuff works and could do it all myself is the only reason it's likely to ever pay off, but I have gone through several power outages without missing a beat.

Solar panel can’t even keep my ring camera battery charge

Bill Maher even asked Gavin Newsom why it takes too long get solar on his rooftop? What about wave/tidal and geothermal?

My husband designed and installed our own solar system at home (in 2022). It works great. We are something like 90% off grid. Saving up for a few more batteries to be 100% solar. We do have a woodstove for winter heat and we made it a priority to save and pay cash for everything. We know we saved a lot of $ by doing the work ourselves. (We also purposely chose to not feed power back to the grid. Banking the excess power in batteries is how we make it through nights and multiple days of rain/clouds.)

Keep speaking & reporting on the truth.

Stossel is a rare breed. Long live Stossel.

Politicians are unbelievable. Requiring solar power on every new home in a place where housing is already ridiculously expensive.

My wife and I got lied to about the rebate we would get for buying solar panels; we were led to believe we'd get a big payout to offset the cost of the installation, but instead we're getting small, monthly payments over the next 20 years. While we _do_ get credits which are keeping our electricity bills much lower than our neighbors', we're essentially stuck with a mortgage on our solar panels.

Thank you John, you're a hero

What’s more mind boggling is how many just simply refuse to actually do their homework on any of the bs they are fed. Unfortunately any attempt at trying to convince some folks they aren’t getting all the available info spoon-fed to them is challenging to say the least.

Greetings from Germany! We are at the forefront of green energy, and we even disabled all of our nuclear power plants. Our energy prices are one of the highest in the world, and since we have to use coal power plants to keep our grid stable, our energy mix is quite dirty compared to most other European countries. But, that is not a problem. We simply import more cleaner energy from our neighbor countries, and we use less and less power because our industry is gradually getting smaller. It is a success story throughout!

Great video, as per usual. Can't wait to watch that documentary. Thanks Team Stossel! Keep up the great work!

I implore you all to show Stossels videos to your kids. He has "Stossel in the Classroom," which we use in homeschool. It helps my kids combat the idiocy they get from their friends and family who go to public school.

I left CA for ID. We have hydro power here. It's dirt cheap in comparison. It's nice to have cheap gas, electric, and other utility prices. =)

Thank you John for keeping us informed

Renewables can work really well with battery storage. One of the states in Australia is proof of that where roof top solar is massive. I agree regarding government intervention. Stop the renewables incentives to corporations and people who don't need it. But also remove the massive subsidies for fossil fuels and put a stop to fossil fuel lobbying and let the markets decide.

Wind and solar generated watts have steadily dropped in cost since 2010. Increased costs due to a badly run grid have nothing to do with them.

I've always been a "Green." Love this planet, love fresh air and clean water. I bought Tesla solar, 26 panels for $22K and had that reduced to $13K over two tax seasons. Then I had to uninstall 10 panels to fix an adjacent roof leak and then schedule a re-install. Tesla's price? $4,700 plus $500 to visit and see if the panel feet were the cause of the continued leaking. What exactly did I save on my costs? I am never going to make back the savings for the cost of the original panels, plus the uninstall and reinstall. Consumers never consider what happens when your rood leaks or the panels end their useful life.

It's wild that you guys have this problem, but here in South Africa we're turning to solar to _increase_ reliability

Voice of reason

I've encountered more power outages in Bellevue, WA in a year than my entire life in Minneapolis, MN so much for green energy. Absolutely ridiculous.

Using substantial amounts of wind and solar energy without battery backup will cause the power grid to become unreliable. In the case of the Texas grid natural gas powered plants are on standby to produce electricity when the wind stops blowing or the sun quits shining. This has led to increased energy costs.

Happy Birthday John! love your videos!

Everything our government is doing with regard to energy in America is insane.

We are in a Cultural Revolution and Renewable Energy is our Great Leap Forward!

Don’t you just LOVE it when you hear people talk about: “FREE government money” As if the govt is creating this cash flow themselves….

Lol barely any sources for his claims and doesn't even name the people he's consulting or tell us their qualifications, truly incredible journalism. I'm sure all the people who already don't like renewable energy are thinking critically about this video that confirms what they already believe.

I had solar installed on my home 6 years ago. There is not enough space here to tell you all the issues that I have had and continue to have with this debacle. Mr. Stossel, I wish you could give me a call, I would like to share my continuing nightmare with you!

very good info as always

Great Video! Thank you 🔥👏💪🫶

Great video as always!

Love your videos John. Please stop calling it “government money” it’s TAXPAYERS MONEY!

Well done John. As always. Keep speaking up against the insane narrative we are fed..

Got an ad for solar panels before this video. Thanks for proving the points he made in the media bias video, RU-vid 😂

Great report John

Great stuff as always thanks

In "Don Quixote", it was referred to as "windmill thinking". The grid is a combination of many sources of generation. GE has applied turbine tech used in airliners for land-based power generation with the heat exhaust being re-cycled into the system. At idle thrust, the GE turbine engine reliably sips fuel, including adapted to use natural gas, with great efficiency. Additionally, storage of energy in batteries tech is increasing dramatically. Batteries using gravity are being developed. But, once again, the broad brush paints a distorted picture and conservatives eat it up.