Amy Cooke, President of Always On Energy Research, joined Harold Birzer on Hillsdale College’s WRFH (Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM) to discuss the devastating tornado that destroyed a $1 billion solar facility in Indiana and the questions it raises about the feasibility of powering America’s grid on wind, solar, and batteries.

The untimely demise of NIPSCO’s Dunns Bridge I & II facilities show the real cost of betting ratepayer dollars on intermittent, weather-dependent generation. Meanwhile, the nearby R.M. Schahfer coal plant — which NIPSCO had planned to retire at the end of 2025 — came through the same storm undamaged and continues operating under a U.S. Department of Energy 202(c) order, keeping the lights on for Hoosiers.

Check out the referenced research, Solar Scattered, Coal Still Standing: What an Indiana Tornado Revealed About the Cost of Fragile Power, or listen to Amy discuss the tornado on Stacy on the Right.