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e state�s utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by

2045. But McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done.
That�s because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly
of the entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.
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234819ddkjcuccewerg82ironmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, globalkshjkack in 2012, the
environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben, took a �Do the
Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the climate
crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.
hloo[p
To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories
with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link


Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.
ack in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.
ack in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wreckckshjkack in 2012, the environmental


organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben, took a �Do the Math� tour
across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the climate crisis.� Alas, it
appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.
ack in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.
ack in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.
ack in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.

To get to Jacobson�s 124,608 megawatts (124.6 billion watts) of onshore wind


capacity, California would need 41.5 billion square meters, or about 16,023 square
miles, of turbines. To put that into perspective, the land area of Los Angeles
County is slightly more than 4,000 square miles � California would have to cover a
land area roughly four times the size of L.A. County with nothing but the massive
windmills. Turning over even a fraction of that much territory to wind energy is
unlikely. In 2015, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban
large wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Three other California counties � San
Diego, Solano and Inyo � have also passed restrictions on turbines.
Back in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.
Back in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.
In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. La


To get to Jacobson�s 124,608 megawatts (124.6 billion watts) of onshore wind
capacity, California would need 41.5 billion square meters, or about 16,023 square
miles, of turbines. To put that into perspective, the land area of Los Angeles
County is slightly more than 4,000 square miles � California would have to cover a
land area roughly four times the size of L.A. County with nothing but the massive
windmills. Turning over even a fraction of that much territory to wind energy is
unlikely. In 2015, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban
large wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Three other California counties � San
Diego, Solano and Inyo � have also passed restrictions on turbines.
Back in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link


Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.
Back in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. LaBack in 2012, the environmental
organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben, took a �Do the Math� tour
across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the climate crisis.� Alas, it
appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.

To get to Jacobson�s 124,608 megawatts (124.6 billion watts) of onshore wind


capacity, California would need 41.5 billion square meters, or about 16,023 square
miles, of turbines. To put that into perspective, the land area of Los Angeles
County is slightly more than 4,000 square miles � California would have to cover a
land area roughly four times the size of L.A. County with nothing but the massive
windmills. Turning over even a fraction of that much territory to wind energy is
unlikely. In 2015, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban
large wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Three other California counties � San
Diego, Solano and Inyo � have also passed restrictions on turbines.
Back in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.
Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.
Back in 2012, the environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben,
took a �Do the Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the
climate crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of EnergBack in 2012, the
environmental organization 350.org and its leader, Bill McKibben, took a �Do the
Math� tour across America to talk about �the terrifying math of the climate
crisis.� Alas, it appears McKibben has since developed an allergy to simple
arithmetic.

In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, McKibben declared that California
legislators should pass Senate Bill 100 this month, committing the state�s
utilities to getting all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. But
McKibben�s essay didn�t use any numbers to explain how it could be done. That�s
because the math behind the 100%-renewable-energy scheme exposes the folly of the
entire concept, particularly when it comes to land use.

Proving that SB 100�s goal is unrealistic can be done by looking at the data
published by Stanford civil and environmental engineering professor Mark Jacobson.
Jacobson, whose energy scenarios have been touted by McKibben for years, puts
together state-by-state tallies that show the amount of wind and solar energy that
would be required to achieve 100% renewable energy across the entire economy,
including electricity generation, transportation and industry. Achieving that goal
in California, Jacobson estimates, would require about 124,608 megawatts of onshore
wind-power capacity, 32,869 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, and 236,243
megawatts of solar-energy capacity.

To expand renewables...would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore territories


with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.

Share quote & link

Let�s examine the solar numbers first. Last year, global solar capacity totaled
about 219,000 megawatts. That means an all-renewable California would need more
solar capacity in the state than currently exists on the entire planet. Sure,
California can (and will) add lots of new rooftop solar over the coming decades.
But Jacobson�s plan would also require nearly 33,000 megawatts of concentrated
solar plants, or roughly 87 facilities as large as the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar
complex now operating in the Mojave Desert. Ivanpah, which covers 5.4 square miles,
met fierce opposition from conservationists due to its impact on the desert
tortoise, which is listed as a threatened species under the federal and California
endangered species acts.

Wind energy faces similar problems. The Department of Energy has concluded in
multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.

To get to Jacobson�s 124,608 megawatts (124.6 billion watts) of onshore wind


capacity, California would need 41.5 billion square meters, or about 16,023 square
miles, of turbines. To put that into perspective, the land area of Los Angeles
County is slightly more than 4,000 square miles � California would have to cover a
land area roughly four times the size of L.A. County with nothing but the massive
windmills. Turning over even a fraction of that much territory to wind energy is
unlikely. In 2015, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban
large wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Three other California counties � San
Diego, Solano and Inyo � have also passed restrictions on turbines.

Last year, the head of the California Wind Energy Assn. told the San Diego Union-
Tribune, �We�re facing restrictions like that all around the state�. It�s pretty
bleak in terms of the potential for new development.�

The anti-turbine restrictions have had an effect. In 2017, California had 5,632
megawatts of installed wind capacity � that�s 153 megawatts less than what the
state had back in 2013.
Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion �
Don�t count on offshore wind either. Given the years-long battle that finally
scuttled the proposed 468-megawatt Cape Wind project � which called for dozens of
turbines to be located offshore Massachusetts � it�s difficult to imagine that
Californians would willingly accept offshore wind capacity that�s 70 times as large
as what was proposed in the Northeast.

To expand renewables to the extent that they could approach the amount of energy
needed to run our entire economy would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore
territories with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.
Organizations like 350.org tend to dismiss the problem by claiming, for example,
that the land around turbines can be farmed or that the placement of solar
facilities can be �managed.� But rural landowners don�t want industrial-scale
energy projects in their communities any more than coastal dwellers or suburbanites
do.

The grim land-use numbers behind all-renewable proposals aren�t speculation.


Arriving at them requires only a bit of investigation, and yes, that we do the
math.

Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the producer of the
forthcoming documentary �Juice: How Electricity Explains the World.�y has concluded
in multiple reports over the last decade that no matter where they are located �
onshore or offshore � wind-energy projects have a footprint that breaks down to
about 3 watts per square meter.

To get to Jacobson�s 124,608 megawatts (124.6 billion watts) of onshore wind


capacity, California would need 41.5 billion square meters, or about 16,023 square
miles, of turbines. To put that into perspective, the land area of Los Angeles
County is slightly more than 4,000 square miles � California would have to cover a
land area roughly four times the size of L.A. County with nothing but the massive
windmills. Turning over even a fraction of that much territory to wind energy is
unlikely. In 2015, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban
large wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Three other California counties � San
Diego, Solano and Inyo � have also passed restrictions on turbines.

Last year, the head of the California Wind Energy Assn. told the San Diego Union-
Tribune, �We�re facing restrictions like that all around the state�. It�s pretty
bleak in terms of the potential for new development.�

The anti-turbine restrictions have had an effect. In 2017, California had 5,632
megawatts of installed wind capacity � that�s 153 megawatts less than what the
state had back in 2013.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion �
Don�t count on offshore wind either. Given the years-long battle that finally
scuttled the proposed 468-megawatt Cape Wind project � which called for dozens of
turbines to be located offshore Massachusetts � it�s difficult to imagine that
Californians would willingly accept offshore wind capacity that�s 70 times as large
as what was proposed in the Northeast.

To expand renewables to the extent that they could approach the amount of energy
needed to run our entire economy would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore
territories with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.
Organizations like 350.org tend to dismiss the problem by claiming, for example,
that the land around turbines can be farmed or that the placement of solar
facilities can be �managed.� But rural landowners don�t want industrial-scale
energy projects in their communities any more than coastal dwellers or suburbanites
do.
The grim land-use numbers behind all-renewable proposals aren�t speculation.
Arriving at them requires only a bit of investigation, and yes, that we do the
math.

Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the producer of the
forthcoming documentary �Juice: How Electricity Explains the World.�
To get to Jacobson�s 124,608 megawatts (124.6 billion watts) of onshore wind
capacity, California would need 41.5 billion square meters, or about 16,023 square
miles, of turbines. To put that into perspective, the land area of Los Angeles
County is slightly more than 4,000 square miles � California would have to cover a
land area roughly four times the size of L.A. County with nothing but the massive
windmills. Turning over even a fraction of that much territory to wind energy is
unlikely. In 2015, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban
large wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Three other California counties � San
Diego, Solano and Inyo � have also passed restrictions on turbines.

Last year, the head of the California Wind Energy Assn. told the San Diego Union-
Tribune, �We�re facing restrictions like that all around the state�. It�s pretty
bleak in terms of the potential for new development.�

The anti-turbine restrictions have had an effect. In 2017, California had 5,632
megawatts of installed wind capacity � that�s 153 megawatts less than what the
state had back in 2013.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion �
Don�t count on offshore wind either. Given the years-long battle that finally
scuttled the proposed 468-megawatt Cape Wind project � which called for dozens of
turbines to be located offshore Massachusetts � it�s difficult to imagine that
Californians would willingly accept offshore wind capacity that�s 70 times as large
as what was proposed in the Northeast.

To expand renewables to the extent that they could approach the amount of energy
needed to run our entire economy would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore
territories with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.
Organizations like 350.org tend to dismiss the problem by claiming, for example,
that the land around turbines can be farmed or that the placement of solar
facilities can be �managed.� But rural landowners don�t want industrial-scale
energy projects in their communities any more than coastal dwellers or suburbanites
do.

The grim land-use numbers behind all-renewable proposals aren�t speculation.


Arriving at them requires only a bit of investigation, and yes, that we do the
math.

Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the producer of the
forthcoming documentary �Juice: How Electricity Explains the World.�
Last year, the head of the California Wind Energy Assn. told the San Diego Union-
Tribune, �We�re facing restrictions like that all around the state�. It�s pretty
bleak in terms of the potential for new development.�

The anti-turbine restrictions have had an effect. In 2017, California had 5,632
megawatts of installed wind capacity � that�s 153 megawatts less than what the
state had back in 2013.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion �
Don�t count on offshore wind either. Given the years-long battle that finally
scuttled the proposed 468-megawatt Cape Wind project � which called for dozens of
turbines to be located offshore Massachusetts � it�s difficult to imagine that
Californians would willingly accept offshore wind capacity that�s 70 times as large
as what was proposed in the Northeast.

To expand renewables to the extent that they could approach the amount of energy
needed to run our entire economy would require wrecking vast onshore and offshore
territories with forests of wind turbines and sprawling solar projects.
Organizations like 350.org tend to dismiss the problem by claiming, for example,
that the land around turbines can be farmed or that the placement of solar
facilities can be �managed.� But rural landowners don�t want industrial-scale
energy projects in their communities any more than coastal dwellers or suburbanites
do.

The grim land-use numbers behind all-renewable proposals aren�t speculation.


Arriving at them requires only a bit of investigation, and yes, that we do the
math.

Robert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the producer of the
forthcoming documentary �Juice: How Electricity Explains the World.�

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