Conservative Think Tanks Devise 'Subversive' Attack on Wind Energy, Solar Shines as an Energy Source

The Guardian reported on Tuesday that several conservative groups met earlier this year to coordinate a campaign to turn public opinion against wind power. A confidential memo distributed at the meeting outlined a PR strategy that would, among other things, use media outlets including Fox News and the Wall Street Journal to disseminate anti-wind messaging. The goal of the media campaign is to provide "cover" for elected officials to vote against wind power.  The strategy document calls for a national PR campaign aimed at causing 'subversion … so that it effectively because so bad that no one wants to admit in public they are for it'.  Fox New has claimed that wind energy "doesn't work," calling it "pointless" and "the Ted Bundy of bird killers." And the Wall Street Journal is doing its part, calling for the elimination of a key tax incentive for wind in an editorial published earlier this week.  Even Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul behind both News Corp. outlets, is joining the conservative war on wind. Murdoch took to Twitter last month to lambaste wind development in the UK, complainingthat the "English spring countryside [is] about to be wrecked by uneconomic ugly bird killing windmills." Speaking of asthetics, I will let you be the judge - the coal plant to the left or the wind turbine to the right.

Solar, wind and thermal represent about 1.5% of U.S. energy consumption.  According Oil Price - solar is the more realistic for consumers.  The Administration's investment in renewable projects such as the May 4th unveiling of the utility scale plant in Nevada is a boast to the solar industry.  Solar leasing, with no upfront costs, is a breakthrough for solar.  Sunrun Company has installed $1 million in solar power leasing systems since 2010.   Consumers seem not to be  looking at solar in terms of its costs in comparison to coal, rather, they are looking at the costs of installation as compared with the monthly utility bills that come in the mail. To this end, the solar system leasing program stands to make significant gains.