Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green is known for making outlandish statements, but this particular statement about solar and wind power misrepresents the truth about their effectiveness. A video circulated in August 2022 shows her speaking at an event where she suggested that the use of solar panels and wind turbines would reduce the amount of electricity available to homes.
Marjorie Taylor Green just said she’s against solar panels because she thinks they make the lights turn off at night. https://t.co/BDeVSlbitG
Thank God for air conditioning. Let’s talk about refrigerators. I personally love my refrigerator. I know you all like yours. What about the washer and dryer? God, please don’t let me dry my clothes in the bucket, when we switch to wind turbines and solar panels, they have to be hung on a rope. I would be very angry about it. I mean how ridiculous is that? I love turning on the light. I want to go to bed later. I don’t want to go to bed when the sun goes down. Too stupid! I mean the whole thing is absolutely insane.
“We can do it” was written on a poster in the same podium where Green spoke at an event in Forsyth County, Georgia on August 9, according to a video Green posted that day on Truth Social and Facebook.
We contacted her team to confirm if she made these claims and to understand her reasons. Her press secretary, Nick Dyer, did not deny that she said any of the above, but also sent us the following statement:
First, you can watch and study all of Rep. MTG’s comments about the ridiculous Democrat green agenda.
Second, a simple Google search will give you plenty of resources showing that “solar power” simply won’t solve the energy crisis or benefit nature.
He sent us a link to an article in the Los Angeles Times about the detrimental effects of dumping solar panels in California landfills. However, this article focuses on the environmental impact of the end of life of solar panels and the lack of efficient recycling. The article does not address Green’s argument that solar and wind cannot provide enough electricity to power homes, including household appliances such as air conditioners, washing machines, and refrigerators.
How much electricity can a solar panel generate? According to a 2018 article in the journal Energy and Environmental Science, solar and wind power could meet up to 80 percent of America’s electricity needs. The document says:
However, to reliably meet 100% of the total annual electricity demand, seasonal cycles and unpredictable weather require weeks of energy storage and/or installation of more solar and wind power than is normally required to meet peak demand. For ~80% reliability, solar wind-solar hybrids require sufficient energy to overcome the solar diurnal cycle, while wind-solar hybrids require continental-scale transmission to exploit wind geographic diversity.
The US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy states on its website: “The United States is a resource-rich country with abundant renewable energy resources. The US Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy states on its website: “The United States is a resource-rich country with abundant renewable energy resources. The US Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Administration states on its website: “The United States is a resource-rich country with abundant renewable energy resources. The US Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Administration states on its website: “The US is a resource-rich country with abundant renewable energy resources. The amount of electricity available is 100 times the country’s annual electricity demand.” energy to power 18 million average American homes. Compared to fossil fuel energy, there is little evidence that using solar or wind energy will reduce the amount of electricity available to these homes on a daily basis, unless, of course, there are problems due to weather conditions. It should be noted that Texas did experience power outages in February 2021 due to storms, mostly due to thermal generators and to a lesser extent due to wind turbines.
Abraham, John. “Study: Wind and solar could power most of America,” The Guardian, March 26, 2018 The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/ mar/26/study-wind-and-solar-can-power – Most of the US. As of August 15, 2022
“House Representative Marjorie Taylor Green Says ‘Jewish Lasers’ Caused Wildfires in California?” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/greene-jewish-lasers-wildfires/. As of August 15, 2022
Kisela, Rachel, et al. “California is using solar power extensively on rooftops. Now it’s a landfill problem,” Los Angeles Times, July 14, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-07-14 /california-rooftop-solar. -PV-panels-disposal-danger. As of August 15, 2022
“Marjorie Taylor Greene ridiculed for suggesting renewables don’t run at night”, The Independent, 15 August 2022, https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/marjorie-taylor-greene- solar energy. -b2145521.html. As of August 15, 2022
“Renewable Energy”. Energy.Gov, https://www.energy.gov/eere/renewable-energy. As of August 15, 2022
Shainer, Matthew R. et al. “Geophysical Constraints on the Reliability of Solar and Wind Power in the United States.” Energy & Environmental Science, vol. Energy & Environmental Science, vol. Energy and Environmental Science Vol. Energy and Environmental Science, Vol. 11, no. 4, April 2018, pp. 914-25. pubs.rsc.org, https://doi.org/10.1039/C7EE03029K. As of August 15, 2022
“Solar Energy in America”. Energy.Gov, https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-energy-united-states. As of August 15, 2022
“Are freezing wind turbines in Texas a major factor in shutdowns?” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wind-turbines-texas-power-outages/. As of August 15, 2022
Post time: Aug-16-2022