ALEC Pushes Idiotic Anti-Renewable Legislation In Ohio - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica criticizes the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for promoting legislation in Ohio that would severely restrict the growth of renewable energy. ALEC, a nonprofit organization that drafts model conservative legislation for state governments, is behind Ohio Senate Bill 294, which seeks to define "reliable energy sources" as power plants capable of operating continuously with a minimum capacity factor of 50%. This definition effectively excludes most renewable energy sources like wind and solar, which have lower capacity factors due to their intermittent nature. The bill is part of a broader push by fossil fuel interest groups to favor natural gas and hinder competing clean energy technologies, with similar legislation being considered in other states such as Utah, Louisiana, and New Hampshire. Capacity factor measures how much energy a power plant actually produces relative to its maximum potential output. While nuclear and combined-cycle natural gas plants exceed the 50% threshold, most renewables fall well below it—wind averages about 34.3%, solar 23.