Today demonstrates once again that thermal generation sources – natural gas, nuclear, coal and oil – provide the electricity that keeps us alive when the cold gets to deadly levels (no, it isn’t the heat we need to worry most about).

At 11 a.m., according to a PJM Interconnection tracking website, about 90 percent of the electricity in that 13-state region was coming from those sources and less than 10% was coming from the so-called “renewable” sources. The massive solar facilities that Democrats seem to worship as sacred, and wish to force on us over local objections, are worthless at times like this. Worthless. Wind is only slightly better.

Another sign of the stress within PJM during the storm is how the marginal cost of electricity being traded around spikes, early today to almost $1,000 per megawatt hour in the Dominion Zone (which includes the electric coops in that part of Virginia, as well.) That translates to almost $1 per kilowatt hour. We hope Dominion wasn’t buying much at that price. Prices in the Baltimore and Potomac and Electric zones were higher than here.

With the snow and sleet lingering on the ground in this coming week, people who refuse to face the reality dictated by those charts are gathering on Richmond’s Capital Square and will fan out to visit legislators with their anti-natural gas messaging. 

“Next week, Virginians from every corner of the state are heading to Richmond with one thing in common: they don’t want costly and polluting gas plants built in our backyards.

“We’re following the weather closely and will keep you updated if anything changes – but, as of now, this event is on. The snow isn’t going to stop corporate lobbyists from storming the General Assembly building, and we’re not going to let it stop us from standing up for our communities.” 

They are wrong. We do need more gas plants. More nuclear plants will also keep us alive on days like this, but wind, solar and all the batteries they can imagine never will. – SDH