Take 90 minutes of your time and listen to three of the best sermons that were ever preached in the Crystal Cathedral. It will bless you, especially if you are still a bit sceptical of Christianity.
Please read our latest newsletter by clicking on the link below:
By Gordin Hughes. Source here: Wind costs will remain high (netzerowatch.com)
The share price crash of Siemens Energy has strikingly exposed a problem with wind energy costs that colleagues and I have been investigating for more than a decade. The painful facts are that (i) wind power generation, both onshore and offshore, is more expensive than we’re told and (ii) wind turbine performance tends to deteriorate as they age, largely because of the type of failures Siemens Energy has been identified. There is strong evidence to support these conclusions, which has been presented in reports published by the Renewable Energy Foundation in 2012 and in 2020 for the UK Denmark, with updates from the Global Warming Policy Foundation and Net Zero Watch .
The news about Siemens Energy evokes a strong tendency to say ‘you were warned’. Their trials, however, are a symptom of a more widespread disease, affecting all of us, either directly through the cost of electricity or indirectly as wind farm owners (through pension funds and other investment vehicles). Siemens Energy’s share price decline is dramatic, but that can be written off as a temporary market reaction to disappointed expectations. We need to dig a little deeper to understand the reasons for the disappointment and their implications for the outlook for wind energy.
The announcement by Siemens Energy targeted higher-than-expected failure rates for their onshore turbines. These were attributed to problems with key components, but newspaper reports suggest more systematic design flaws in recent generations of large turbines. Previous announcements have focused on problems with offshore turbines, and the market reaction suggests that few believe the current problems are limited to onshore turbines. Further, while each of the major turbine manufacturers has its own specific issues, Siemens Energy is not alone in facing high warranty costs due to higher-than-expected failure rates.
In ascending order of importance, there are three aspects to pay attention to:
(a) Siemens Energy and other manufacturers have made warranties of performance that will not be met due to higher failure rates. They will incur additional costs, either to replace components or to compensate wind farm operators for any resulting underperformance. Those costs are the basis for the depreciation that Siemens Energy had to take. Investors will be painfully aware that the company is declaring profits on wind turbine sales, but without making adequate provisions for future warranty repair costs. In accounting terms, this is known as recognizing future profits for new business. When it becomes clear that the contracts will be less profitable, the company has to write off the value of previously reported profits and therefore the value of the assets on its balance sheet. In fact, though perhaps wholly unknowingly, the company has misled investors about its past and present profitability. Senior managers should feel very uncomfortable about their position as the problem was predictable (and predicted).
(b) Warranties have a limited period – often 5 to 8 years – but the higher failure rates will persist and affect performance over the remainder of the life of the wind farms where the turbines are installed. Their future operating costs will be higher than expected and their output will be significantly lower. This will shorten their operational life, which is determined by how the margin between revenues and costs changes as wind farms age. Lower revenues and higher costs bring forward the date when replacement or repair is required. These changes will often significantly reduce the returns of the financial investors – pension funds and others – to whom operators sell most of the shares in wind farms after a number of years.
(c) Siemens Energy and other manufacturers can claim that they can – over time – solve the component and design problems that lead to high failure rates. They could be right. The history of power engineering is littered with examples of new generations of equipment that encountered major problems when first introduced, but were eventually resolved. Many companies have run into serious financial difficulties or even went bankrupt due to these “teething problems”. The mistake in this case was to pretend that wind turbines were immune to such disturbances. The whole justification for the falling cost of wind generation rested on the assumption that much larger turbines would produce more output at a lower cost per megawatt, without the high cost of generation change. Now we have confirmation that such optimism was completely unjustified – the whole development process was a case of too far, too fast. Again, this was both predictable and predicted.
The idea that wind turbines are immune to the factors that influence other forms of power engineering has always been absurd. As a result, both capital and operating costs for wind farms are not falling as fast as claimed and may not fall significantly at all. It follows that current energy policy in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States rests on quicksand – naive optimism reinforced by enthusiastic lobbying detached from technical reality.
In the longer term, (b) and (c) are the big story. With regard to (a), serious analysts have long recognized that claims about future wind costs and performance by the wind industry should not be taken seriously. It is clear that they have been fooling themselves and their investors since the last 2010s. Unfortunately, we are now bound by a future with high energy costs, with all the consequences for the economy and living standards.
Take some time off (ca. 1 hour) and watch this video! Let me know what you think?
I was still a teenager when I first heard the song about Atlantis. By clicking on the youtube music link below, you can also listen to it. (Don’t forget to click on the start triangle, below left). I think that from that time onward I have indeed always been fascinated by everything and anything that had something to do with that lost paradise, the land of Atlantis.
The day when the sea swallowed Atlantis has haunted men’s imaginations down the centuries. It seems the legend originated from a priest in ancient Egypt. Plato (ca. 400 BC) is our main source. He describes the splendor and greatness of the capital of Atlantis in stunning details. But in the end the Atlantean society began to decay as people started to worship the false gods of wealth, idleness and luxury. He writes: “When the divine portion began to fade away and the human nature gained upper hand, they then behaved in an unseemly manner.” It was during this era of corruption that the Atlanteans embarked on a world conquest launching huge fleets against other lands and islands. He relates that therefore (the) God(s) had prepared a terrible retribution for the men who had betrayed the ancient faith of Atlantis. Plato says: “There occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune ….the land of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea.” According to Plato’s account, all this happened in remote antiquity, some 12000 years ago. He located Atlantis in the Great Ocean, the Western sea, beyond the Pillars of Hercules which we know today as the Straits of Gibraltar (From: The World’s Last Mysteries, page 16).
Must say: don’t you find Plato’s writings strikingly similar to those in the Bible relating to Noah’s flood? I am also reminded of the words of our Lord (Jesus) in Matthew’s Gospel, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. [The Son of Man is the way Jesus often referred to Himself. So, He is talking about the end of earth and His coming at the end of time]. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:37-39). It appears that the legend of Atlantis still excites modern mind, as is evident from the video below.
The investigators in the movie (2017) point to three possible locations for Atlantis, namely 1) between Italy and Sicily, 2) the south of Spain and also 3) in the Azores. Interesting. It is certainly worth the time to watch the whole video. But I think what they found could possibly be just the remnants of ancient colonies (of the Atlanteans??). Truth be told, they can be found everywhere on Earth. In fact, if you go up the main Giza pyramid to the Kings Chamber, you will find granite blocks in the stairway so big that you cannot figure out how people who barely invented the wheel, could have put them there. Easter Islanders carved and moved the largests stone sculptures ever created. Let us just take a look at the giants of Easter Island:
It appears the inhabitants of Easter Island managed to create a complex and prosperous society and peopled their island with a race of stone giants so big and so heavy that even modern engineers marvel at it. One wonders how the islanders could have built and moved the colossal statues weighing up to 80 tons. The biggest mystery is: why? The fact that they are all male figures lets me think that this is a type of fore-father worship, like we have it here in many cultures in Africa. According to the islanders’ own legend, a big Chief called Hotu Matua was forced to leave his native Marae Renga in the archipelago of Hiva due to a natural disaster when all the land of Hiva disappeared beneath the sea. All the accounts agree that Marae Renga was situated towards the setting sun and the climate there was hot. The chief and his entourage brought with them all kinds of plants, trees and animals….* (The World’s Last Mysteries, page 99).
But what about Ba’albek? (44 miles east of Beirut). This acropolis with its ruins and gigantic temples is one of the most imposing sites of the world:
Clearly, the Roman sanctuaries of Jupiter and Venus succeeded earlier temples dedicated to the corresponding Semitic divinities Ba’al and his partner, the Goddess Astarte. Apparently, this religion included prostitution and sacred orgies. The Roman architectural structures – which were largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1759 – do not pose any archaeological problems. On the other hand, one part of the enclosure wall, called the Trilithon, is composed of three blocks of hewn stone each weighing 750 tons. It is an amazing piece of building, as the blocks have been raised almost 7 meters in order to lie on top of smaller blocks. Another hewn block, 4 x 4 meter and 21 meters long, weighing at least 1000 tons, the largest hewn stone known to man, lies in the quarry. Did the Romans build the trilithon or does it date back to an earlier period, and if so, how were these colossal blocks of stone raised into position? Large numbers of pilgrims came from Mesopotamia as well as the Nile valley to the temple of Ba’al-Astarte. It is mentioned in the Bible, namely Joshua 12:7. Of course we also remember the story of King Achab who married a Phoenician wife and subsequently they introduced the Ba’al worship in Israel. Ancient Arab writings tell us that the first temples of Ba’al – Astarte were built there a short time after the Flood, at the order of the legendary King Nimrod, by a ‘tribe of giants’ (The World’s Last Mysteries, page 308)
On the other side of the world, on a bleak plateau, nearly 4000 meters high up in the Andes, are the remnants of a brilliant and long-forgotten civilization: the City of Tiahuanaco. Apparently once you have seen it, it is easy to believe in the Indian legend that the city was originally built by a race of giants. Investigations showed that the stone used in the buildings came from quarries between 60 and 200 miles away from the city. Consequently, the experts have had to face the question of how it was possible that blocks of stone weighing up to 100 tons each – some even more – were transported over ground. Remnants of the roads that must have been used for this were also found. Yet even so, the best engineers look at all of this in amazement. The giant blocks look almost as though a die were used to cut them. Even trying to make this with modern technology available today would present some challenges, not to mention the movement of such objects over such long distances. A big puzzle. The Indians say that the stone face with beard (see above), standing at the entrance of the church porch in modern Tiahuanaco – a village built from stones torn from the temples and palaces of Tiahuanaco – depicts Viracocha, the legendary god who arose from the sacred lake of Titicaca. The story goes that this bearded white god created the Andean world. He is said to have appeared in Tiahuanaco after a flood which lasted 60 nights and engulfed big cities in its path. Note that the original Indians were almost beardless (The World’s Last Mysteries, page 134)
Finally, let us once again look at Stonehenge. It seems likely that building of the monument could have started more than 5000 years ago:
Archaeologists have known for a while that the bluestones used to make Stonehenge originated from quarries in Pembrokeshire, Wales, 150 miles away, but how the stones arrived at their current spot is less clear. According to one theory, humans spent months transporting the materials, possibly with wooden sleighs on rollers, oxen, or river rafts. Other experts insist that it would have been impossible to transport the 25-ton rocks such a great distance using primitive technology. Instead, they say the stones were placed there by glacial activity. The new study published in the journal Antiquity debunks that idea. Archaeologists and geologists from the UK studied the smaller rocks used to build Stonehenge and pegged them to two quarries in the Preseli Hills of Wales. Upon visiting the sites, they discovered traces of tools, stone wedges, and digging activity. The evidence dates back to 3000 BCE, the same time when construction on Stonehenge started. The research team says their findings suggest that materials used to make Stonehenge were moved by purposeful human activity rather than freak natural forces. But the study still leaves some questions unanswered, such as how the ancient peoples were able to transport the rocks 150 miles after digging them up. The fact that the rocks came from the north side of the Preseli Hills suggests they were dragged over land rather than transported by river—though the exact methods used remain a mystery.
Source: Scientists Solve an Ancient Stonehenge Mystery: Where the Massive Rocks Came From | Mental Floss
SUMMARY
The question now is: who were these people that set up these giant structures, like the Tower of Babel, as if they wanted to reach heaven and ‘make a name for themselves’ (Gen. 11: 4). That actually brings us again back to the question: who were the ‘Sons of God’ mentioned in Gen. 6:2? It seems obvious to me that if Jesus calls Himself “Son of Man”, that the ‘Sons of God’ mentioned in Gen. 6:2 must have been descendants from Adam, who was God’s first child. It seems likely that they must therefore have been the off-spring of Seth and Cain.
Now click on the link below and please carry on reading here:
By Roy Kloet. (From: Het Zoeklicht)
Recently, the University of Helsinki decided to give Greta Thunberg an honorary doctorate. This is the highest university award. With the help of her famous mother (1), she drew worldwide attention to climate change. From the age of 15, she ‘went on strike’ weekly at the Swedish parliament for the climate. Greta was highly appreciated for her climate activism. In 2019, Time Magazine named her “Person of the Year” and she won the Children’s Peace Award. She was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
“By choosing Greta as an honorary doctor, we express our desire to be as courageous and impactful as she is,” says professor Nissinen.
A school drop-out without any scientific achievements is thus bestowed with academic greatness. It perhaps says more about the state of science. But no matter how we feel about it, Greta is successful in her earthly struggle. Concerned people see her as a figurehead; a voice in the desert to keep the earth habitable.
A striking detail: Greta receives her honorary doctorate in Theology (2). Historian Bouwman frowns: “Guilt, penance, the end of time, denunciation of unbelievers and now also a theological honorary doctorate for the ‘holy virgin’. For those who still doubted whether green is a religion.” The former leaders of the German Evangelical Church and the Anglican Church of England compared Greta to Jeremiah. The Catholic Bishop Koch called her a modern prophet.
THE RISE OF THE CLIMATE RELIGION
Just because Greta isn’t a Christian theologian doesn’t mean she is not religious. This climate apostle is a follower of a radical religion that fits precisely with the spirit of the time. Many have left God and are seeking a surrogate faith to fill the void. The climate religion gives people the feeling of living for something bigger than their own little ego island. Standing up for the planet, for mother earth. Well, OK, you may also call it “creation”.
Thus, “green” really became an alternative belief of some sort for some. This is not only evidenced by Greta’s appointment as a top theologian. Worldwide we see religious traits everywhere around climate and greenery. Many who left the church are now becoming fanatical supporters of climate science. They willingly sacrifice to the green idol, Mother Earth. And everyone has to participate! The pagans now worship their nature gods again, their golden calf is now green. We must repent because enemies threaten the planet.
A minuscule amount of Nitrogen Oxide precipitates, more details here:
https://breadonthewater.co.za/2023/04/17/bullying-of-the-farmers/
or a little bit more of the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) flies around our ears, details here:
Henry’s Climate | Bread on the water
Climate science is given an unassailable, almost sacred status. The “inconvenient truth” is that we are all climate sinners. The mainstream media blows the trumpet almost daily and has put it high on the agenda. Time and again there is a stage for the prophets and followers of the Extinction Rebellion and like-minded people. Ecology is the in-thing. More and more people who fight for climate justice, are willing to sacrifice and step out of their comfort zone and block the highways. Some glue themselves on the asphalt. A few glue themselves to a Vermeer canvas. Or rant against a Van Gogh with tomato soup. The media love it. From children’s TV programs to the weather reports, the message is repeated over and over again that we have to change. Everything that is wrong in the world is now due to the climate crisis. When we get to +1.5 degrees, it’s too late. We may still be able to save the planet, if we all repent and minimize our emissions. Some go so far in their crusade for a smaller carbon footprint that they no longer want to give birth: the birth strikers. Every child that is born less, saves 58.6 tons of CO2 emissions per year. For such a saving, you have to stop 24 cars for a year. Or 73 people should become vegetarians.
Those who do not participate are ignored or denounced. Unwelcome messages simply disappear from the internet, as do climate prophecies that never came true (3). A former director of the Dutch media organization cannot express his opinions because the editor-in-chief (NOS) does not like it. All ‘climate deniers’ are now being silenced. This also happens when you doubt not so much anything about climate change, but perhaps just the amount of human contribution to it, or the draconian measures to minimize emissions. There is apparently no separation of state here. United, even beyond their primary remit, governments, banks, regulators and multinationals preach the climate message. Anyone who sees a threat in this unity can now be classified as a threat by the secret service because of ‘anti-institutional extremism’.
THE CLIMATE CHURCH
Mother Earth is a wrathful type of goddess, and fear and despair reign among many climate believers. That even leads to climate depressions. A humanistic alliance has already set up discussion groups for people with climate burnout or climate depression.
You would think that this would offer Christians a great opportunity to bring the hopeful gospel of Christ. For He is the Savior of sinful man and of a Creation that sighs (Romans ch. 8). But surprise, surprise: many churches no longer expect Him, and they certainly no longer expect anything from Him.
Believing in green is hip. Christians feel called to prevent global warming themselves. “As good stewards, we should shepherd the planet and build God’s Kingdom,” some argue. It is indeed important to have an eye for God’s original plan for man and all of His creation. To take care of it and enjoy it. But when we simply ignore the Creator and think we can restore this creation ourselves, pride and self-justification lurk around the corner. No matter how well-intentioned, we cannot be the savior. Where this is taught, churches are changed and Christianity is redefined. Then one proclaims another gospel. That’s the “Kingdom Now,” eco-gospel. (4)
Various Christian organizations work with churches on sustainability and greening (5). These can be good initiatives. Few people will reject the correct sustainable handling of resources. If the world went down tomorrow, Luther would plant an apple tree today. But you are on slippery ice when, for example, the planting of that tree becomes the core of the preaching. And what do we see: ‘Green churches’ together with the (Dutch) media organize ‘a real sermon competition for theologians and non-theologians on a theme around climate and sustainability‘. A worship service for creation? Are we not going to “worship and serve the creation above the Creator”? (Rom. 1:25, Matt. 4:10). Things really become problematic when not Christ, but only the green faith is proclaimed:
EXTREME GREEN
Prominent Christians are committed to Extinction Rebellion (XR) or its Christian counterpart Christian Climate Action (CCA). Sometimes Christian activists go to a demonstration or blockade in preachers’ toga. To ‘rebel for life’ by blocking the roads. XR and CCA don’t accept half-work or “cheap grace”. Climate justice now! Many people feel ‘a lot of camaraderie in the climate movement’. I like to believe that. But if you experience more comradeship (6) with XR than with fellow Christians in the church, aren’t you in danger of standing in the path of the sinners? Or to sit there, in a circle of people that curse God or use foul language?
Knowingly breaking the law and then ending up in jail makes you frown? I quote a lady pastor who works for various organizations: “From my ministry, I feel that I cannot remain silent. Arrest is also sometimes the goal. Then it’s a shame if you don’t get arrested because that’s what makes the media. For me, blocking the road is a form of love to ‘God’. In no other place do I feel so close to God as after an arrest.” To add, “Paul ended up in prison, didn’t he?”
Yes. Yes. But not with a message on climate and blocking the roads! In Acts (25:8), he even advocates the opposite. Although Paul lived in a Roman world full of slavery and injustice, the core of his preaching was Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Paul ended up in jail because he was talking about Jesus! Proclaiming a half-biblical truth for a biased climate purpose is a fallacy. Paul is extraordinarily sharp in his rejection of errant doctrine.
“If we take the Bible seriously, we would be at the front of the queue to force climate action!” says climate scientist Hayhoe. (7)
No. No. And again, no. If people are dying today, they need the Gospel now. The Gospel is free. God himself has paid ALL the debt for us. And He has promised a new creation. If you happen to have a green heart, and you can reach people who are desperate about the climate, then above all, proclaim to them the liberating Gospel of Christ!
CONCLUSION
The church of Jesus Christ is not on earth to promote sustainability. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we must or can save the world (8). He is the Lord and He is also Lord of the Weather! (Matt. 8:23-27). Many exploit the earth to serve mammon (money). Do not serve mammon, nor creation. God is in us, part of us, and nothing escapes Him. Fight the good fight. Help those who are struggling (Matt. 25:31-46) and worship the Creator above the creature. That is the Law and the Prophets. Proclaim hope and do not despair. He is with us, in the same boat.
The Lord is coming back!
References:
Recent Comments