Renewable Energy: Votes Matter

There are several reasons that the opponents of renewable energy are having such a deuce of a time impeding its expansion. One, of course, is that the levelized cost of energy from solar and wind is very low, and becoming more so with each passing year.

According to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), unsubsidized renewable energy is now most frequently the cheapest source of energy generation . From Forbes: The report finds that the cost of installation and maintenance of renewables, which was an important stumbling block to mass adoption, continues on a downward trajectory.

Another issue is jobs, a big deal by any standard in all political circles. Today, there are no fewer than 11 million jobs in renewables. That’s 11 million paychecks for food on 11 million tables, a significant amount of votes in every local, state, and federal election.

Many of us found a comment of the governor of Iowa was amusing. A full 30% of electricity in the state comes from wind, and, when he was asked if he was under pressure to favor fossil fuels over wind he replied (I paraphrase), “Of course. But these people vote, and there are one hell of a lot of them.”