WA Policy Center warns: Wind and solar can’t meet peak demand, energy shortages loom

A new report revealed the Puget Sound could face energy shortages during extreme conditions, according to SeattleRed. The report examined how the region’s energy plans would perform under various weather and hydropower conditions across the Pacific Northwest, finding the highest blackout risk — a dry hydropower year combined with a days-long cold snap.

Todd Myers, the Vice President for Research at the Washington Policy Center, told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio that the possibility of an energy shortage has been building for years.

Myers explained Washington has been shifting from reliable energy sources like hydro, coal, and natural gas to increasing reliance on wind and solar.

“Wind and solar are fine, except that, during the peak hours from 4 to 7 p.m., the sun is going down, and wind, in at least the Pacific Northwest, typically blows in the night. So you have this gap when the demand is the largest and the energy from wind and solar is the smallest,” he said. “So as you increase the amount of demand, because of electric vehicles, home heating, and you increase unreliable sources like wind and solar, you’re going to increase the risk of shortages. And that’s what we’re seeing.”

Myers reiterated the consequences of building more wind and solar, but not focusing on more reliable energy sources like hydro.

“The amount that you have is not enough to cover the gaps in wind and solar. We’re starting to reach that,” he said.

Myers noted that in an extreme scenario, energy shortages could affect a lot of people.

“When we have our coldest days, there is almost no wind across the entire Pacific Northwest. So, at the moment that you have the most demand, you have the least wind,” he said. “And so what do you do then? Well, you have to use all of the hydro, we have all of the nuclear, and you have to go find natural gas. That’s when the situation becomes dire, is during those circumstances.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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