The hemp oil lamps are coming on all over Europe, as electricity is shut off — will we see it again in our lifetime?
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Back to the future — as ye sow, so shall ye reap
PARIS—The City of Light is going dark.
Luxury shops across the city are turning off their nighttime lights, plunging the Avenue de Montaigne and other areas renowned for evening window shopping into relative darkness. Tourists are showing up to monuments for late-night photos, only to find somber silhouettes. Even the Eiffel Tower, symbol of France’s rise as an industrialized nation, is hitting the off switch early.
The measures come in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for “energy sobriety.” The government has asked municipalities, households and companies to reduce their energy consumption by 10% over two years to counter Russia’s decision to cut the flow of natural gas to Europe.
Others across the continent are making their own adjustments. Italy’s government plans to restrict the heating in homes and businesses. The Netherlands is urging residents to shorten their shower times. Finland is encouraging its population to cut the amount of time they spend on digital devices. Monuments in Germany are also going dark.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire recently said that he would wear turtlenecks this winter as a way to keep warm and save energy. The next day, Mr. Macron also appeared in a turtleneck.
Meanwhile, in the farmland, trouble:
Solar rollout meets resistance in Europe’s countryside
PARIS—Europe’s plans for a massive expansion of solar power are hitting an obstacle on the ground: regulations that preserve green space on the densely-populated continent and aim to protect the heritage of the countryside.
In France, thick rulebooks restrict where solar farms can be built, resulting in years of delay before construction can begin. Local officials in Spain are trying to slow the spread of solar farms that they fear could scar the countryside. In Italy, developers must clear layers of bureaucracy and avoid ancient ruins to build solar farms in rural areas.
…. In Spain, public opposition is growing to the large number of solar farms under development. Mayors in Andalusia are protesting decisions by the national government to allow hundreds of solar farms to be built in a region renowned for its cultural sites, rolling countryside and agricultural products. In some cases, olive trees have been uprooted to make room for solar panels.
“We consider it necessary to establish areas of exclusion for the installation of large-scale renewable projects,” the mayors wrote in a statement last week to the Andalusian parliament. “A planned and rational process is urgently needed.”
Slow-moving bureaucracy is a challenge across the continent. Developers say the regional agencies that review solar park proposals are often understaffed. Neoen says that 40% of its French projects in the pipeline have been awaiting regulatory decisions from local authorities for more than two years.
And here at home:
Climate activists tank Biden’s green agenda
Environmentalist Democrats forced Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to remove his permitting reform bill from a short-term government spending package on Tuesday; however, this move could hinder President Joe Biden’s efforts to rapidly expand green energy infrastructure.
Manchin asked Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to remove his bill from the continuing resolution package to avoid a government shutdown because his bill did not have enough Democratic Senate votes to pass, according to a press release. Manchin’s Energy Independence and Security Act would have instructed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to permit transmission lines to transport electricity generated by solar and wind energy to urban centers, which could have helped accelerate Biden’s green energy transition.
Transmission lines are essential to facilitate the renewable energy projects funded by the Democrats’ $370 climate bill, according to a Sept. 23 report released by the Princeton University REPEAT Project. The construction of transmission lines, which can often become delayed, could be expedited by Manchin’s bill if the Energy Secretary determines the project to be in the “national interest.”
Despite the bill’s potential to help the Biden administration reach its climate targets, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, sent a letter on Sept. 23 urging senators to vote against it. Sanders called Manchin’s bill a “big oil side deal,” arguing that it would help the fossil fuel industry pollute the planet.
And:
CNBC: Fierce local battles over powerlines are a bottleneck for clean energy
KEY POINTS
The existing system of transmission lines is insufficient for the large-scale deployment of clean energy — like wind, solar, hydroelectric — that the country needs to meet its decarbonization goals.
The most productive geographical regions for wind and solar are generally far away from urban centers where the energy is needed
Local opposition to power lines, exemplified by a bitter fight in Maine over an extension to carry hydroelectric power to Massachusetts, are a big barrier.
If you’re curious about how the greens took control of public infrastructure in the United States, I recommend reading about the 1973 case that got it all started, the snail darter and the Tellico Dam
