Ronald Stein: The greatest oxymoron statement of all time - “Renewable Energy”

Co-authored by Ronald Stein and Roger Caiazza

Published June 9, 2025, at America Out Loud NEWS

https://www.americaoutloud.news/the-greatest-oxymoron-statement-of-all-time-renewable-energy/

An oxymoron is a figure of speech where contradictory or opposite words are combined to create a striking or thought-provoking effect. Examples include "deafening silence", "organized chaos", “perpetual motion machines”, and today’s favorite among zero-emissions policy makers, “RENEWABLE ENERGY” !

Yet, our so-called government leaders and policymakers are setting policies and procedures that are MANDATING and SUBSIDIZING an oxymoron goal to achieve “RENEWABLE ENERGY”.

Wind and solar projects that generate electricity under favorable weather conditions only exist because of the government subsidies to finance those projects. To date, none of the wind and solar projects around the world have ever been financed with private capital as there is no return on such investments. Claims that renewables are cheaper exclude the costs to back those sources up when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow. When included, costs are much higher.

The so-called renewables of wind and solar only exist in the few wealthy countries that can afford to subsidize an oxymoron fantasy.

Most people in the wealthier developed nations are oblivious that 80% of the 8 billion people on planet earth, are living on less than $10/day and cannot subsidize themselves out of a paper bag, thus any suggestion that heavily subsidized solar and wind systems are viable is simply stargazing. Those more than 6 billion on this planet are incapable of financing a delusion of “renewable energy”. The majority on this planet would be delighted to have access to the products, transportation fuels, infrastructures, and affordable electricity that are enjoyed by less than 2 of the 8 billion on this planet.

In California, one of the world’s biggest believers in “renewable energy”, Governor Newsom remains oblivious to the fact that we are a materialistic society dependent on the more than 6,000 products made from fossil fuels. Newsom continues to believe that the elimination of gasoline, just “1” of the 6,000 products, with his upcoming ban on new ICE vehicles in the coming years, will clean up California. Unable to stop economies and society’s demand for the other 5,999 products, his war against fossil fuels has set up California, the 4^th largest economy in the world, as a National Security Risk for America”.

Over the last 200 years the world populated from 1 to 8 billion. After the discovery of the products and transportation fuels that could be manufactured out of fossil fuels, it was the more than 6,000 “products” from oil that supported the tremendous growth in population.

Today, we have more than 50,000 merchant ships, more than 20,000 commercial aircraft  and more than  50,000 military aircraft that use the fuels manufactured from crude oil.  The fuels to move the heavy-weight and long-range needs of jets moving people and products, and the merchant ships for global trade flows, and the military and space programs, are also dependent on what can be manufactured from crude oil.

Today, we’re a materialistic society. Wind and solar cannot make EV’s, or any of the products or fuels that get made from fossil fuels.

• Wind and solar can ONLY generate ELECTRICITY.

• All the products and transportation fuels that are demanded by economies, societies, and all the infrastructures are made from fossil fuels.

Today, “Net Zero” policymakers setting “green” policies to achieve “Renewable Energy” are oblivious to the reality that so-called “renewables”, ONLY generate electricity but CANNOT make anything. In addition, everything that NEEDS Electricity, like iPhones and computers, are made with petrochemicals manufactured from crude oil, coal, or natural gas.

• Electricity came AFTER oil, as ALL electrical generation methods from hydro, coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, and solar are ALL built with the products, components, and equipment that are made from oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil,

• All EV’s, solar panels, and wind turbines are also built with the products, components, and equipment that are made from the oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil.

• All the transportation fuels for cars, trucks, merchant ships, aircraft, and military are made from raw crude oil.

Getting rid of crude oil would eliminate electricity, and the more than 6,000 products in demand by hospitals, airports, communications, and the 8 billion on this planet, and would paralyze virtually all transportation!

“Renewable Energy” and “Net Zero” policymakers mistakenly believe that wind and solar renewable ENERGY will replace fossil fuel ENERGY!

• The Oxymoron REALITY CHECK: Renewables and Fossil Fuels do different things.

Since so-called “renewable energy” from wind and solar is only occasionally generated electricity under favorable weather conditions. Even wealthy countries are finding that renewable energy destabilizes the energy grid and causes unexpected reliability issues.

There Is Absolutely Nothing Cheap About "Free" electricity: It's the Con of Cons and the wealthy public Is onto It!

Local authorities in wealthy nations are nixing solar, wind, and battery projects. They are starting to cease financially supporting the humanity atrocities and environmental degradation in poorer nations that are the supply chain for the exotic minerals and metals demanded by “renewable energy” projects.

In wealthy countries, the citizens that are financing the subsidies for an oxymoron delusion for “renewable energy” are saying enough is enough!

Please share this information with teachers, students, and friends to encourage Energy Literacy conversations at the family dinner table.

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Ronald Stein, P.E. is an engineer, columnist on energy literacy at America Out Loud NEWS, and advisor on energy literacy for the Heartland Institute and CFACT, and co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book “Clean Energy Exploitations.”

Roger Caiazza is a retired air pollution meteorologist with extensive private industry background in environmental regulatory analysis and compliance. He describes the challenges of balancing risk and benefits of environmental initiatives at his Pragmatic Environmentalist of New York blog.