America is going to need to roughly double our electricity production to meet our economic and lifestyle needs over the next several decades.

That’s why we love this new report by Timothy G. Nash, director of the McNair Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise at Northwood University. Titled “Grading the Grid: A National Energy Report Card,” the report grades eight electricity sources based on capacity, reliability, environmental/human impact, technology/innovation, and market feasibility. Those are all vital factors in choosing the right energy mix for America.

The following were each fuel’s final grades:

Regular HOTLINE readers know we call natural gas the fuel of the future, so we agree with its grade of an A. Wind is by far the least productive way to produce reliable electricity – and solar is a close second to the worst. We would quibble that hydro is at last an A- energy source, as it is inexhaustible and totally clean and cheap, but these ratings are otherwise about right.

The study notes that many blue states, including Michigan and California, “are moving toward a grid that primarily relies on wind and solar.” In a few decades, they will be riding the equivalent of bicycles while the rest of the nation will be traveling in rocket ships.