Feasibility and Financing Energy

MontPIRG’s recent fiscal and leadership problems have not deterred it from its goal of creating a better world for all.  As I walked through the oval this last week, I noticed the sheer amount of volunteers and outreach this program was doing.  Their latest endeavor: to push our legislation towards a system dependent upon renewable energy.  I’ll admit that renewable energy is an important and responsible part of our society; but renewable energy within the state of Montana is not feasible for our great state at this moment in time.   MontPIRG doesn’t understand the inner ramifications of the energy sector in Montana.  The feasibility of renewable energy in our economy at this time is not economically sound.  Our state energy mostly comes from coal fire plants; these plants along with the hydro-electric dams we have across Montana provided us with most all the electricity we need.   To put in renewable energy producing outputs would require that we make drastic changes to the landscape of Montana’s electricity output.  What the MontPIRG people don’t realize is that coal fire plants, which produce most of our energy, take days to ramp up to full power when turned off.  With the implement of wind or solar energy, it would take away from these plants.  When the wind was blowing, the coal fire plants would be shut down.  But what would happen if we were to experience days of stillness.  There would be massive blackouts on an apocalyptic scale, while the coal fire plants fired back up again.  You may say, just leave the coal fire plants on.  That would not be cost-efficient for an American economy that is currently in a downspin.  The energy of these plants would also most likely go somewhere else in America.  MontPIRG’s fight is noble, but is in its entirety a failure from the start.  The only way Montana can feasible and economically afford to implement renewable energy into their system of energy production, is through two word; fossil fuels.  Fossil fuel plants take seconds to ramp up from standstill, and can be more productive and cohabitate easier with renewable energy.  So, by Montana first implementing Fossil Fuel plants, they will be setting the stage for renewable energy to make its big debut into the energy field.  This is currently happening in my area of Northeastern Montana.  A natural gas powered plant just replaced our old coal fire plant, and now there is major talk of putting in a wind farm.  MontPIRG should consider the inner ramifications of its actions, and consider a decisive plan to reach those goals.  The legislators of our great state have to consider all the ramifications of a bill, and from that make a plan that fits into a strategy of attack.