Electricity Is Color Blind

We all know that renewable energy is the darling of organic-wine-sipping, Prius-driving do-gooders in Marin County, while real men prefer the fuels you get by punching through the permafrost or blowing the tops off mountains. But real men (and women, I’m told) aren’t above learning from the enemy when there are big bucks at stake. And that’s just what seems to be happening with wind and solar power in parts of America where “liberal” is a cuss word.

Most of the country’s wind power, and a good chunk of its solar, comes from the reddest of red states. What’s more, much of it is used to generate electricity in-state, where it keeps the price of power delightfully low.

Look for much more of the same in the future: the potential supply of reasonably priced wind and solar in the Great Plains and western deserts is close to limitless. One big question, then: when will the politics of energy in red states begin to align with economic interests?