To the editor,

In his letter to the editor last week, Sanjeev Dhawan said we shouldn’t invest in “failed” renewable energy, which he says is being pushed by “environmental wackos.”

For his information, half the new power generating capacity coming online this year in the U.S. will be solar and another 28 percent will be battery storage facilities. Guess which state is leading the way? Texas! Forty percent of the new solar and half the new battery capacity are being developed in Texas. The Lone Star State is hardly a hotbed of environmental wacko-ism, nor are hard-nosed Texas businessmen in the habit of throwing their money away on green fantasies. They’re looking for a return on their investment, not a return to the Stone Age.

Every source of energy has pros and cons. That goes for solar, batteries, coal, nuclear, hydro and all the others. Energy choices should be based on weighing those pros and cons so we can find the best balance for our economy and quality of life. Base our choices on facts, not on bumper-sticker slogans.

Jim DiPeso
Town of River Falls