Policy Maker Need Schooling In Science.

One of my sources of information comes from the Yahoo financial app. My conviction that most political figures do not understand science was justified by Janet Yellen by a posting in the blog.  Yellen, the former chairperson of the FED, now the Treasury Secretary said the following regarding the UK’s current power problem caused by over reliance on unreliable wind and solar energy sources:

“She added that “in the case of the UK, there’s a question of what to do if the sun isn’t out and the wind doesn’t blow, and I believe there is storage technologies that can be deployed and, you know, other means to address that, and of course that has to be part of a plan to switch to renewables and address climate change.”

First of all, it does not trouble her that wind and solar can just stop producing electricity.  Second, she believes there are “storage technologies”.  She obviously has no idea how big such storage technologies would have to be to resolve anything but a minute or less loss of power for the customers being served.  Nor the extreme costs for suitable storage. Here, Here and Here. Thirdly, she does not seem to know what those “….other means to address that..” are.   I wonder if the fact that on average the sun is only available for something less than 12 hours a day has ever occurred to her.

I would have thought, because of her financial education and occupation, she would have understood why the UK and the much of Europe are facing skyrocketing prices, but she fails this one too.

“I don’t believe that the president’s program is going to lead to increases in the cost of energy,” Yellen said, referring to the fuel shortage and high gas prices in the UK and Europe more broadly.” 

I truly believe that anyone in this Administration, including her addled leader, should be required to understand the science when they are making policy of this magnitude. Congress belongs in school too.

cbdakota