Winter Storm Fern Exposes the Truth About America’s Energy Grid
As Americans dig out from Winter Storm Fern, one thing is clear: when the weather turns deadly, reliable energy matters. Once again, traditional energy delivered, while wind and solar fell short.
New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that natural gas, coal, and nuclear provided roughly 80 percent of U.S. electricity during the storm. Wind generated about 8 percent, and solar just 3 percent, with both sources largely absent during the coldest overnight and early-morning hours—exactly when families needed power the most.
Power The Future’s new report, Frozen By Fern, lays out the facts. Our report shows that despite years of subsidies and mandates, intermittent renewables still fail when conditions are toughest.
“Once again, reality tells a story eco-leftists refuse to admit: when temperatures drop and lives are on the line, wind and solar fail, while coal and natural gas deliver,” said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director for Power The Future. “Of the many things President Trump has gotten right this past year, energy policy is high atop the list. He’s right to cancel wind and solar projects that don’t show up when we need them the most, and he’s wise to continue pushing policies that allow our traditional forms of energy to thrive.”
The storm’s timing is revealing. Just days before Fern, former Vice President Al Gore attacked President Trump’s energy agenda in Davos, calling him “insane” for canceling wind projects and claiming that renewables are “taking over.” But Fern proved that rhetoric wrong.
“As one of the original and most disgraced voices of the climate cult, Al Gore doesn’t have the burden of having to be truthful,” Mr. Turner continued. “As the 20-year anniversary of movie passes, he continues his decades-long record of overheated rhetoric divorced from reality.”
Winter Storm Fern is the latest reminder that energy policy is about reliability, not politics. Wind turbines freeze. Solar panels go dark at night. But coal, natural gas, and nuclear provide reliable energy across the country.
January 29, 2026