Jon Caldara’s latest in The Denver Gazette argues Colorado’s recent windstorm outages were not just a weather story. They were a glimpse of a 100 percent renewable future that forgets physics and grid reality. He opens by noting he was among 110,000 households left without power for a full day, then walks readers through what unreliable energy actually feels like at home.
Caldara ties the outages to warped incentives and political vanity. He blasts Xcel for prioritizing shiny new projects over humdrum maintenance, says the state’s push for 100 percent renewables guarantees more failures, and warns that energy scarcity is becoming a feature, not a bug, of Colorado policy.
The Bullet Point Brief
- 110,000 homes went dark during windstorms. Caldara calls it a preview of the “renewable lifestyle” and it was not exactly spa day.
- He skewers Xcel for learning the wrong lesson from Marshall and for using shutoffs to condition customers to accept outages. Behavior modification meets bill payers.
- Monopoly math beats maintenance. Utilities earn guaranteed returns on new green builds, not on fixing old bolts. Guess what gets ignored.
- Physics still votes. Two thirds of our power is from dispatchable fuels. More intermittent wind and solar without firm backup means more failures and real human risk.
- The kicker is chilling. He says get ready for PSAs about flashlights and parking outside. Energy scarcity is the plan, not the accident.
My Bottom Line
Once again, I am in lock-step with Caldara. Game recognizes game. Colorado’s ruling class sold the Great Suburban Normie a soothing fairy tale about vibes-based energy. Then they handed the Public Utilities Commission a pen, told the utilities to chase subsidies, and acted shocked when the lights cut out.
Here is the truth the lawn-sign crowd needs to hear. You vote for Democrats because you think Republicans are mean and, you know, TRUMP. You still get the policies. Those policies hard-wire renewable mandates that ignore engineers who testify, again and again, we cannot get there from here. Yet the legislature writes laws, the PUC enacts rules, and utilities are forced to attempt the impossible.
This is what energy scarcity looks like. Cold houses. Silent garages. Medicines spoiling. Risk for seniors and families. You can call me every name on the internet, but you cannot call a dark house warm. Keep voting for the vibes if you want. Just know what it feels like when the vibes go out.
Source: The Denver Gazette
