ISO-New England Relies on Diesel Fuel to Power the Grid During Cold Spell: Wood and Refuse Provide 67% of “Renewable” Power, Each More Than Wind and Solar Combined

    Diesel fuel, wood, and refuse provided about 42.35% of power for residents and businesses in New England during one part of the recent cold spell. Diesel oil was number one of all sources at 39%, beating out natural gas, which was at 31%. As usual, air quality rules were allowed to be exceeded. This is mainly the result of efforts by anti-fossil fuel activists to block natural gas pipelines in the region. Wind and solar only provided 30% of the renewable energy, with wind at 20% and solar at 10%. The total renewable power utilized was only 5% of the total power consumed. That means wind provided about 1% of total power, and solar provided 0.5% of total power. Wood provided 1.8% of total power, more than wind and solar combined. Burning trash provided 1.55% of total power, also slightly more than wind and solar combined. These numbers are just a snapshot of one day, so the numbers vary overall.

     This data shows that the region’s push for wind and solar power is insignificant and nearly negligible. It also shows that the region needs natural gas pipelines, which would make power costs lower since diesel costs a lot more than natural gas. It would lead to better air quality and less carbon emissions. This has long been known and should be considered a thorn in the side of commonsense energy policy. Burning trash and wood is also bad for air quality. Add to that the many individual customers in the region who burn wood and diesel fuel oil for heat. Some of us have been sounding the alarm on this for years, falling on deaf ears, while some pretend that there is a real effort to advance an energy transition to wind and solar. The region does not offer good solar and wind resources, with the exception of offshore wind, which, although underway, has faced a lot of problems from the Trump administration.  

“Refuse-derived fuel, or RDF, is a fuel produced from solid waste. It can be used in many industries as an alternative to fossil fuels,” according to Carbon Collective, an investment advisor focused on climate change. “RDF consists of two parts: refuse and derivatives. Refuse includes materials like paper, cardboard, food waste, and plastics. Derivatives are materials that have been processed or burned to create energy.”

        These facts should be considered a big policy failure. In a region that is proud to have shut down its coal plants and blocked needed natural gas pipelines, the reality is that it has replaced them with even worse alternatives and is doing so every year when cold spells hit. Thus, it is yet another situation where environmentalists and climate activists have ended up harming the environment and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. The energy hypocrisy is palpable. Clearly, energy reform is needed in this region. 

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Trash and wood accounted for major 'renewable energy' share during winter storm, reports show. Audrey Streb. Daily Caller. February 10, 2026. Trash and wood accounted for major 'renewable energy' share during winter storm, reports show