Superpower: One Man's Quest to Transform American Energy
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- Create Date：2021-04-14 11:57:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Russell Gold
- ISBN：1501163590
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Summary
Meet Michael Skelly， the man boldly harnessing wind energy that could power America’s future and break its fossil fuel dependence in this “essential， compelling look into the future of the nation’s power grid” （Bryan Burrough， author of The Big Rich）。
The United States is in the midst of an energy transition。 We have fallen out of love with dirty fossil fuels and want to embrace renewable energy sources like wind and solar。 A transition from a North American power grid that is powered mostly by fossil fuels to one that is predominantly clean is feasible， but it would require a massive building spree—wind turbines， solar panels， wires， and billions of dollars would be needed。
Enter Michael Skelly， an infrastructure builder who began working on wind energy in 2000 when many considered the industry a joke。 Eight years later， Skelly helped build the second largest wind power company in the United States—and sold it for $2 billion。 Wind energy was no longer funny—it was well on its way to powering more than 6% of electricity in the United States。
Award-winning journalist， Russel Gold tells Skelly’s story， which in many ways is the story of our nation’s evolving relationship with renewable energy。 Gold illustrates how Skelly’s company， Clean Line Energy， conceived the idea for a new power grid that would allow sunlight where abundant to light up homes in the cloudy states thousands of miles away， and take wind from the Great Plains to keep air conditioners running in Atlanta。 Thrilling， provocative， and important， Superpower is a fascinating look at America’s future。
The United States is in the midst of an energy transition。 We have fallen out of love with dirty fossil fuels and want to embrace renewable energy sources like wind and solar。 A transition from a North American power grid that is powered mostly by fossil fuels to one that is predominantly clean is feasible， but it would require a massive building spree—wind turbines， solar panels， wires， and billions of dollars would be needed。
Enter Michael Skelly， an infrastructure builder who began working on wind energy in 2000 when many considered the industry a joke。 Eight years later， Skelly helped build the second largest wind power company in the United States—and sold it for $2 billion。 Wind energy was no longer funny—it was well on its way to powering more than 6% of electricity in the United States。
Award-winning journalist， Russel Gold tells Skelly’s story， which in many ways is the story of our nation’s evolving relationship with renewable energy。 Gold illustrates how Skelly’s company， Clean Line Energy， conceived the idea for a new power grid that would allow sunlight where abundant to light up homes in the cloudy states thousands of miles away， and take wind from the Great Plains to keep air conditioners running in Atlanta。 Thrilling， provocative， and important， Superpower is a fascinating look at America’s future。
Reviews
Autumn Nester
，
It was an interesting read that took me a long time to get through。 I think I would have preferred it on audiobook more。
Chris Dailey
，
Part biography and part chronicle of the electrical grid's history， Superpower shines a light on the rise and inherent limitations of renewable energy in the US。 Written by an energy journalist， the accessible prose detail the life of Michael Skelly and his mission to incorporate wind power into the electric generation mix。 Simultaneously， the history of electric power and utilities is detailed from Edison and Westinghouse to PURPA and the Tennessee Valley Authority。 Filled with interesting tidb Part biography and part chronicle of the electrical grid's history， Superpower shines a light on the rise and inherent limitations of renewable energy in the US。 Written by an energy journalist， the accessible prose detail the life of Michael Skelly and his mission to incorporate wind power into the electric generation mix。 Simultaneously， the history of electric power and utilities is detailed from Edison and Westinghouse to PURPA and the Tennessee Valley Authority。 Filled with interesting tidbits and digressions， the book is a smattering of long-form journalism tied together by Skelly's work as wind developer and then as a visionary trying to build an interstate transmission line。 Politics， people and price all are obstacles along the way which adds to narrative tension。 Fascinating for folks in the energy world and interesting to people that are curious about where and how they get their power， but this isn't for everyone。 。。。more
Thomas
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Detailed story of efforts by Michael Skelly early attempts to build large scale wind energy installations。 Although the technology was there and Skelly was willing to invest a lot of his own resources， there were many levels of regulatory obstacles involving Federal and State approvals and permissions， as well as working within markets controlled by utilities and other existing regulations and dealing with public and questions of access/eminent domain。 Unfortunately， although he made things easi Detailed story of efforts by Michael Skelly early attempts to build large scale wind energy installations。 Although the technology was there and Skelly was willing to invest a lot of his own resources， there were many levels of regulatory obstacles involving Federal and State approvals and permissions， as well as working within markets controlled by utilities and other existing regulations and dealing with public and questions of access/eminent domain。 Unfortunately， although he made things easier for others who worked in this area （as well as using some of his concepts and technology） he himself was not successful to be able to build his projects。 Good historical point of view - points brought up should also be considered when expanding the current grid with renewable energy sources of non-continuous energy capture。 Note， the larger the interconnecting grid， the better to smooth out power supply and distribution。 This book might only appeal to those interested in the details of using and distribution renewable wind power。 。。。more
Bert
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For the energy transition and renewable energy it is vital that the grid is well connected to collect all sun and wind where it is generated and transport it to demand centers。 Regulatory and political hurdles have delayed this interconnection with DC lines and without them it will become impossible to reduce GHG sufficiently。 This book shares the frustration of not getting there， despite the best efforts of those trying。
Ben
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> They decided to give landowners as much information as possible to calm fears and， hopefully， win over residents。 It would soon become clear there was a large downside to this approach。 Clean Line was basically giving opponents lots of information to fight the project if they wanted。 And because they started community meetings early in the application process—instead of waiting as long as possible—they were giving communities more time to organize。> federal aviation rules prohibited power line > They decided to give landowners as much information as possible to calm fears and， hopefully， win over residents。 It would soon become clear there was a large downside to this approach。 Clean Line was basically giving opponents lots of information to fight the project if they wanted。 And because they started community meetings early in the application process—instead of waiting as long as possible—they were giving communities more time to organize。> federal aviation rules prohibited power lines within three miles of airports of a certain size。 Tiny Starbuck， Minnesota， announced a major expansion of its airport to exceed the federal size requirement。 Never mind that no one in Starbuck was clamoring to turn the turf airstrip into a mini-O'Hare。 The town said it intended to build a much larger lighted runway。 The power line was routed north of Starbuck。 Later， plans for the new runway were shelved。> Clean Line had proposed building the wind farm in Oklahoma and sending the power through a 720-mile direct current line to Tennessee。 In between， Arkansas received little … Skelly had relented and agreed to add a converter station in Pope County， Arkansas， that would serve as a 500-megawatt off-ramp。 It added to the project's overall cost， but was necessary to make the project acceptable。 Initially， Clean Line had decided not to put it there for a good reason: Skelly and others worried it would upset the powerful Arkansas utilities。> Skelly said he expected to be able to come to terms with landowners for 95 percent or 96 percent of the parcels。 Eminent domain would be required for the rest。 If Skelly had been building a natural gas pipeline， he could have secured federal siting authority and finished this process in a matter of months。 But the government had never provided a similar blueprint for transmission lines that crossed from state to state 。。。more
Natalie
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Really informative book about wind energy policy in the United States， told through the story of Michael Skelly， an energy entrepreneur。 He's enthusiastic about renewable energy， but also realizes it needs to make business sense to make it possible。 Gold does an excellent job of weaving in energy and location history， with political context， and I learned so much about how renewable energy works with our current outdated and fractional grid。 Really informative book about wind energy policy in the United States， told through the story of Michael Skelly， an energy entrepreneur。 He's enthusiastic about renewable energy， but also realizes it needs to make business sense to make it possible。 Gold does an excellent job of weaving in energy and location history， with political context， and I learned so much about how renewable energy works with our current outdated and fractional grid。 。。。more
Cheryl
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Big infrastructure investments are best suited as national investments to uplift us all。 But the short sighted nimbys and the misinformed/uniformed politicians again leave me with little hope for our country。
Dominic Paine
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It was ok， not quite as fascinating as 'The Grid' but still informative。 It was ok， not quite as fascinating as 'The Grid' but still informative。 。。。more
Ryan Johnston
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A fast-paced story that’s informative yet not too information-heavy。 This book is definitely accessible to all readers and assumes no prior knowledge。 Gold manages to break down complex development tasks into easy-to-understand descriptions of the problems faced when revolutionizing one of America’s biggest pieces of infrastructure。 Furthermore， Superpower does a great job of focusing on the most captivating stories and keeping the book moving forward at a steady pace。As the US and the rest of t A fast-paced story that’s informative yet not too information-heavy。 This book is definitely accessible to all readers and assumes no prior knowledge。 Gold manages to break down complex development tasks into easy-to-understand descriptions of the problems faced when revolutionizing one of America’s biggest pieces of infrastructure。 Furthermore， Superpower does a great job of focusing on the most captivating stories and keeping the book moving forward at a steady pace。As the US and the rest of the world begin to move towards more renewable sources of energy， entrepreneurs are scrambling to take their part in the revolution。 Michael Skelly is one such person who is bent on updating the mess of loosely connected wires that is the American electrical grid。 Superpower follows Skelly’s career as he takes on projects on the cutting edge of energy innovation including a wind farm and an interstate high-voltage transmission line。In the US， the grid arose in a haphazard manner as the country rushed to electrify。 What’s left behind is a collection of grid operators and utility companies who each operate in their own political and economical interests with no incentive to innovate or cooperate with each other。 As the book explores， even companies with ample funding and solid development plans are faced with the struggles of local politics， NIMBYs， and the glacial pace of the federal government。 Even with a seemingly win-win project， it becomes clear that the task of getting states to cooperate with each other and convincing people of progress is near impossible。 Unlike the interstate highway system， the power grid is almost invisible and it’s incredibly difficult to get people to support something when they can’t see the tangible benefits。 Gold ends the book by highlighting a paper written by Christopher Clack detailing how， by 2030， the US could cut carbon dioxide emissions rates by 80% with only existing technology。 There’s no need for us to wait for some sort of breakthrough in electrical storage; the technology is already here we just need to figure out how to get states to cooperate with each other。 We need more stories like Michael Skully’s in which persistent and dedicated people slowly fix the broken system。 Overall， I think Superpower contains a lot of interesting knowledge about renewable energy but also gives an interesting look into human nature and politics。 。。。more
Stephen Rynkiewicz
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Wind power is still a young technology， and its history can be told through the eyes of a single promoter。 Michael Skelly cheerfully pushes through the five stages of project development: euphoria; despair; search for the guilty; punishment of the innocent; and riches and glory for the uninvolved。 In a global climate crisis， doing the right thing shouldn't be this hard。 Wind power is still a young technology， and its history can be told through the eyes of a single promoter。 Michael Skelly cheerfully pushes through the five stages of project development: euphoria; despair; search for the guilty; punishment of the innocent; and riches and glory for the uninvolved。 In a global climate crisis， doing the right thing shouldn't be this hard。 。。。more
Christina Nyquist
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When big dreams and solutions run up against small politics。
Dominique Roux
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It's a very interesting story。 The conclusion is hard to believe and / or understand （I think at least for a non-US person）。 It somehow felt like watching House of Cards。The middle part was a bit dry with all the diplomacy and politics but afterwards it made completely sense to mention all the politics It's a very interesting story。 The conclusion is hard to believe and / or understand （I think at least for a non-US person）。 It somehow felt like watching House of Cards。The middle part was a bit dry with all the diplomacy and politics but afterwards it made completely sense to mention all the politics 。。。more
Nilesh
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Every adult has one or more biographies in them， and so does every corporate， every project， every government decision， or every vested interest。 Most of these narratives are of interest to only those involved or loosely connected to the subject matter。 Superpower is one such， even if well told， narrative。 To some， this might read like a story of an unsung visionary。 To some others， this could be a case study on hurdles facing the alternative power industry in the US or anyone trying to get work Every adult has one or more biographies in them， and so does every corporate， every project， every government decision， or every vested interest。 Most of these narratives are of interest to only those involved or loosely connected to the subject matter。 Superpower is one such， even if well told， narrative。 To some， this might read like a story of an unsung visionary。 To some others， this could be a case study on hurdles facing the alternative power industry in the US or anyone trying to get work done from politicians and bureaucrats。 Some highly specialized historians might relish the details on the US power transmission grid build-up。 Environmentalists might find many new things to worry about based on trivial and transient things people prioritize over critical climate matters。 And yet， despite the author's heavy attempts to paint everything as a story extraordinaire， this is where a casual reader on the subject is most likely to walk away with the simple question of what the fuss is all about。 Notwithstanding the narrative's onesidedness and even fully believing in everything presented， there is little in the struggles， achievements， and failures of Skelly （and a few others） that is remarkable or inspiring enough to wow anyone new to the specific subject。 There is a lot here for those living in the areas mentioned， those involved with US windpower or transmission grid industries， policy historians， or those linked to the people mentioned。 This reviewer does not belong to any such targetted or relevant audience categories。 。。。more
Sugandha Talwelkar
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It’s not everyday that you get to dive into a creative non-fiction about Energy。 Skelly’s journey throughout the book teaches Business acumen， strategy， reflects courage and the will to persevere。 It’s a must read for Engineers and everyone in Energy。 Also， highly recommended for everyone who doesn’t stop to think - How exactly do we get electricity？
Steve Walsh
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Less about the man than an in-depth dissection of the wind power debate and the fickle obstacles blocking development of the power grid in the U。S。 Strangely a good examination of the extent of the byzantine politics that plague most political systems where reelection is a constant concern for the incumbent。 Essentially the American energy system is a highly balkanized mess filled with self-serving pricks bent on stopping any competition from creating economically sound advancements。
Geoff
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I'm not particularly interested in the tale of Michael Skelly as an individual， but his experience as a green energy businessman serves to highlight the many， many potential pitfalls faced by the expansion of renewable energy in the United States。 This is a fast-enough read that will enhance your understanding of the energy politics happening underneath our noses。 I'm not particularly interested in the tale of Michael Skelly as an individual， but his experience as a green energy businessman serves to highlight the many， many potential pitfalls faced by the expansion of renewable energy in the United States。 This is a fast-enough read that will enhance your understanding of the energy politics happening underneath our noses。 。。。more
Loren Steffy
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My full review: https://www。texasmonthly。com/the-cult。。。 My full review: https://www。texasmonthly。com/the-cult。。。 。。。more
Pia
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I know a fair amount about the energy industry， having worked in and around it in the admin side of the house all of my career。 That said- Great read。 Interesting， informative， and honestly， a little surreal when your husband is quoted。 😄
Jacob
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Mr。 Gold’s account of one of the most inspiring stories of American energy entrepreneurship is as intricate and engaging a page-turner as non-fiction can be。 The story of Michael Skelly’s path to being one of the few true heroes of renewable energy the world has yet to see is equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking， but also reassuring， as an affirmation that the American entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking。 The writing is engaging， fun， detailed and personal。 Can’t wait for the next act Mr。 Gold’s account of one of the most inspiring stories of American energy entrepreneurship is as intricate and engaging a page-turner as non-fiction can be。 The story of Michael Skelly’s path to being one of the few true heroes of renewable energy the world has yet to see is equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking， but also reassuring， as an affirmation that the American entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking。 The writing is engaging， fun， detailed and personal。 Can’t wait for the next act from both Gold and Skelly！ 。。。more
Kyle Weil
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Superpower is an extremely interesting and informative read for anyone looking to learn about renewable energy and the US power grid。 While Superpower's main character， Martin Skelly， originally staked his fortune in the wind industry， the real gem of this book is in its exploration of the current need for a national transmission system。 Current high-voltage transmission cables operate intrastate， leaving the US with a bunch of patchwork grids。 This leaves low-cost energy， especially in renewabl Superpower is an extremely interesting and informative read for anyone looking to learn about renewable energy and the US power grid。 While Superpower's main character， Martin Skelly， originally staked his fortune in the wind industry， the real gem of this book is in its exploration of the current need for a national transmission system。 Current high-voltage transmission cables operate intrastate， leaving the US with a bunch of patchwork grids。 This leaves low-cost energy， especially in renewables which are dependent on weather， underutilized in the US。 A national high transmission system would be like putting the highway system in place but for electricity。While I found the subject matter interesting， the plot itself was pretty lackluster and lacked suspense （for a nonfiction telling a story）。 Gold would make it obvious when something was going to fail hundreds of pages before it actually failed， making the whole process feel pointless。 Additionally， Gold could be repetitive with his reintroduction of information from previous pages （mostly about people）。 I also felt like there could have been more elementary， explanatory information on wind energy and what made it a good energy option。Solid read to learn more about transmission in the US。 。。。more
Amber
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An enjoyable book， a combination life story of entrepreneur Michael Skelly and a deep-dive on his failed transmission start up， Clean Line Energy Partners。 It's detailed enough to be interesting to me， someone working in related industries but also definitely accessible to non-practitioners。 For me， it was like being in a parallel universe--way back when， I turned down a job at Horizon Wind （itself a big player in this book， where Skelly made his name in renewables）， working for David Berry， aft An enjoyable book， a combination life story of entrepreneur Michael Skelly and a deep-dive on his failed transmission start up， Clean Line Energy Partners。 It's detailed enough to be interesting to me， someone working in related industries but also definitely accessible to non-practitioners。 For me， it was like being in a parallel universe--way back when， I turned down a job at Horizon Wind （itself a big player in this book， where Skelly made his name in renewables）， working for David Berry， after interviewing with Jayshree Desai （both big players in this book）。 It is surreal to imagine what my life would have been like had I taken that job instead （which， then and now， was less a fit for my particular skills than the one I ended up taking）。 Anyway， not the point！ This book does a good job explaining the economics of electricity and of transmission， and also the cumbersome regulatory process that is a serious headwind to modernizing our electricity system。 One point I thought was really interesting was Desai's point of empathy with those opposed to the project because it would affect their land， or even their views: "We are asking people for a sacrifice。 And what are we sacrificing in return？ I don't have a great answer for that。" The moral， I think， is to make sure that everyone along the right-of-way is well-compensated， indeed perhaps at the expense of equity owners。 Given the need to build new infrastructure， it's the only way， I think （and that applies to highways， too）。 My one quibble is with Gold's characterization that AEP "stole" Clean Line's idea of an Oklahoma power transmission line--project development isn't just about ideas， it's also about execution， and if Clean Line fell down on the latter， then that's a legitimate reason for a firm to die。 Well， actually， two quibbles--this book also needed a copyeditor。 tl;dr NIMBYism not only makes housing affordable in increasingly many US cities， but it （along with our balkanized regulatory system） is making it extremely difficult to reduce carbon emissions。 This is true for building power transmission to deliver renewable energy to consumers， and it's true for gas transmission to serve areas currently burning coal。 A United States with increasingly many veto points is one that will eventually be crippled by the costs of aging， not-fit-for-purpose infrastructure。 。。。more
James
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A fascinating read if you are casually interested in the work and drama of trying to build out clean energy infrastructure。
Sean Estelle
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This is an excellent， compelling story about the failure of private investment and the need for democratically controlled state investment and planning in order to build the energy future we so desperately need （although unfortunately the author doesn’t actually make that point， the thrust of the narrative is more entrepreneurial）。“As the twenty-first century unfolds， the North American grid - once hailed as one of the greatest achievements of the twentieth century - is beginning to look and fee This is an excellent， compelling story about the failure of private investment and the need for democratically controlled state investment and planning in order to build the energy future we so desperately need （although unfortunately the author doesn’t actually make that point， the thrust of the narrative is more entrepreneurial）。“As the twenty-first century unfolds， the North American grid - once hailed as one of the greatest achievements of the twentieth century - is beginning to look and feel outdated。” 。。。more
Teerth Brahmbhatt
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Quote from Michael Skelly at the end: "You only get one life， right？ " "You might as well do something that is interesting， is challenging and is exciting。 If it weren't all of those things， it wouldn't be worthwhile" Quote from Michael Skelly at the end: "You only get one life， right？ " "You might as well do something that is interesting， is challenging and is exciting。 If it weren't all of those things， it wouldn't be worthwhile" 。。。more
Alex Ager
，
This is the best book I've read thus far on the energy transition。 It convinced me that the biggest barrier to increased renewable energy adoption may be infrastructure。 Russell Gold manages to weave a riveting narrative about transmission lines - no small task。Superpower follows Michael Skelly， a Wind Developer who built a very successful career in Texas。 Skelly spotted an opportunity in Oklahoma for wind projects and moved there。 The book is about his ambitious plan to build out a massive tran This is the best book I've read thus far on the energy transition。 It convinced me that the biggest barrier to increased renewable energy adoption may be infrastructure。 Russell Gold manages to weave a riveting narrative about transmission lines - no small task。Superpower follows Michael Skelly， a Wind Developer who built a very successful career in Texas。 Skelly spotted an opportunity in Oklahoma for wind projects and moved there。 The book is about his ambitious plan to build out a massive transmission line from Oklahoma to the Southeast with his team at the startup company Clean Line。 This proves to be an incredibly tough task due to archaic utility regulations and passionate anti-transmission activists。As many reviewers have noted， this book was both an exciting and infuriating read for anyone passionate about the cause of renewable energy。 Utility-scale renewable developers face the daunting task of self-funding massive infrastructure projects， usually the domain of powerful governments and utilities。 This boundary results in a concerning number of large-scale wind and solar projects dropping off the map due to high transmission costs。This book made me hope that we experience a profound transformation in how renewable energy projects are funded and regulated。 。。。more
Deb Rudnick
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Incredibly well written， fascinating， and downright infuriating。 This book shows us exactly how excellent people are at getting in their own way， to blockade an idea that makes huge economic and environmental sense in the name of petty politics and lack of vision and willingness to prioritize the steps we should damn well know by now we need to take on transforming from a carbon based economy。 ARGH！
Phillip Goodman
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Very good expose of the challenges of renewable energy development， specifically HVDC transmission in the Midwest/south。
Novak
，
I read non-fiction， too， I just don't often review it。Russell Gold's Superpower: One Man's Quest to Transform American Energy isn't broad enough to even be the full story of the last twenty years of progress in wind power， much less low-emissions power， and it's not quite focused enough to be a real biography of its semi-protagonist Michael Skelly， but it's interesting。Michael Skelly is a guy who's been very active as a wind-power developer for some twenty， twenty-five years， and the book covers I read non-fiction， too， I just don't often review it。Russell Gold's Superpower: One Man's Quest to Transform American Energy isn't broad enough to even be the full story of the last twenty years of progress in wind power， much less low-emissions power， and it's not quite focused enough to be a real biography of its semi-protagonist Michael Skelly， but it's interesting。Michael Skelly is a guy who's been very active as a wind-power developer for some twenty， twenty-five years， and the book covers the two distinct periods of his career along with one brief interlude。The first part is the successful part: As a hands-on developer， spending someone else's money to break into region wind power development。 Regional， in this case， loosely defined as "You build it close to where it will be used， usually no more than a few hundred miles away， often in the same state but definitely on the same grid。" This turns out to be easy， circa the mid 90s to mid 00s。 It's not， really-- there's an element of right place， right time after a whole bunch of people had already made mistakes， but it's a success story in that Skelly kept building bigger and bigger wind farms， and eventually the investor sold the company for shit-tons of money plus piss-rivers of yearly dividends。What's interesting is how much of this got its start in the Texas area。 Geographically， it makes sense， especially a little north in Oklahoma or Kansas-- lots of flat land or low hills with near constant wind。 But politically， you see a lot of names signing on to these deals that you wouldn't really expect to， like George W Bush during his governorship。 Later， the same with Rick Perry。The interlude is a brief failed run for Congress in a Texas district。And then， the second and much more dismal part。 There's a soft ceiling on how much wind power you can build in one area-- whether it's the panhandle area， or off-shore in New England， or wherever-- and the limit is political constraints on technology。 If you can't reliably and cheaply get the power to where it will be consumed， you shouldn't bother to build it。 And generally， places rich in wind power are sparsely populated。The second part isn't about Skelly trying to build wind farms。 It's about him realizing that the modern grid needs and overhaul and trying to step up and form a private company to do exactly that。Spoiler alert: He is crushed。His biggest best idea （although he had five， to mitigate against any one failure） is a privately owned and operated electrical line from the panhandle area all the way into the TVA grid， which is essentially the best， most over-built grid in the country。 He is crushed by:- Absurd， antiquated catch-22 state level put in place like legal moats by medieval power companies that don't even exist any more。 Things like， "You can't own power lines unless you are a power company generating power in state，" and "You can't be a power company unless you're generating power， and you can't generate power unless you are a power company，" and the whole "certificate of need" thing。 This can be kind of circumvented by federal partnership， but see below。- Local opposition: There didn't seem to be an offer Skelly could make that would be accepted in some quarters， it's all "Git off mah land！" It comes across as so caricatured that it's hard to believe Gold is playing it straight， here。 But eventually-- at the cost of many years-- they manage to get a path， or at least most of a path， signed off on by local property owners which doesn't involve knocking down houses。 （There was a real obsession with not knocking down houses that is hard to understand because the developers never even suggested it。）- State opposition: This is an area where the states have a terrible time coordinating and need the Federal government to step in and impose order to get anything done， just like the interstate highway system and the oil pipeline networks。 If a line from OK to TN goes through AK， what does AK get out of it？ Nothing， which amplifies the irrational local opposition。 What can TN or OK offer？ Nothing。 Even the rent-seeking solutions get legally complicated or intractable。- Lamar Alexander: Lamar Alexander has an irrational opposition to wind power。 Seriously， the man hates the very idea and pulled every federal trick he could to shut the projects down。- The Federal Government: The Obama Administration was slow to move on this stuff， and although they eventually did throw in support， by then the TVA was in "Let's wait to see who wins the next election。" Well， it was Individual-1。And that's how it died。 Once that project （"Clean Line"） was dead， the other four projects withered as investors read the writing on the wall and pulled their cash out。Which is both sad and infuriating， because Skelly was playing by what the GOP said was the playbook-- market based solutions， private infrastructure solving national problems， leading to vast improvements in efficiency。 As the book spans 20-odd years， it is scattered with contracts and terms and prices and amounts of electricity; the quantities kept going up， eventually but easily into the gigawatt range， with hundreds of megawatts on conctract， and the prices kept going down， eventually to 2 cents per kilowatt hour and below which is just mind-bogglingly cheap。 It the sort of thing that makes a real difference to energy-intensive industries like steel-making and large scale manufacturing， who live and die by energy costs。 And it's clean， even slightly cleaner and slightly cheaper than nuclear， for old nuclear construction。Didn't matter。 Doesn't matter。Didn't grease the right palms， didn't enrich the right donors， didn't pat the right constituencies on the ass。It's such a god damned waste。 Wind power isn't the sole solution for national power production， but it would be an exceptionally good addition to it if it could be done at grid scale。But it can't， not right now。 。。。more
Becky L Long
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