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Solar and wind power have been trumpeted as a cure-all for the environment. After all they emit no CO2, the bogeyman for "global warming" or "climate change." Even better yet, they require subsidies and subsidies expand the role of government. Above all, they feel good. A recent National Review article, A Clean Energy’s Dirty Little Secret, reviews disposal problems with regard to 25 year old panels, their useful life. Before people get on their high horse and point out that National Review is a conservative publication, can someone point to factual errors in the story. The article points out that "(f)ederal and state governments have been slow to enact disposal and recycling policies, undoubtedly fearful of raising any red flags about the environmental threat posed by a purported climate-change panacea." Like used computers and televisions "(s)olar panels are considered a form of toxic, hazardous electronic or “e-waste....”
Other articles have explored wind power's highly blemished environmental record. In an article entitled Wind Forum Explores Concerns. It seems many Vermonters have had not only their scenery, but right to live in reasonable quiet, utterly wrecked.A neighbor of one such project, quoted in the article stated:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Fairneny, Wind Project Neighbor
Now it's like living near the airport. The sound does change.... My wife's ears ring whenever she's at home. She has tinnitus never had ear problems and we've been traveling up and down this mountain for 29 years. Never any issues with going up and down the mountain and we don't know what we're going to do yet.
Many people feel the need to "do something" and "start somewhere." They are very impressed with pronouncements from big, glitzy forums such as those held in Paris where the Climate Accords were "negotiated" and announced. There was to be sure lots of top officials and entertainment such as Elton John. But when the shouting is done, has anything been accomplished, other than to obtain more taxpayer money and move around the environmental problems?
I live next to a Solar farm owned by China. Why doesn't my town own it to power our town?
Whatever the argument is against alternative energy, the downside of the use of fossil fuels for energy and the disastrous effects of transportation, distribution and drilling or mining for it far exceed the downside of alternative energy.
I live next to a Solar farm owned by China. Why doesn't my town own it to power our town?
Whatever the argument is against alternative energy, the downside of the use of fossil fuels for energy and the disastrous effects of transportation, distribution and drilling or mining for it far exceed the downside of alternative energy.
I think that view has been drummed into us. I'm personally skeptical.
I didn't read the article, but if it's only concerned with disposal of the panels, that's only part of the picture. How much energy is required to manufacture the panels in the first place? Of course, we could ask the same about oil and gas extraction; how much energy is expended in pulling the stuff out of the ground, and refining it? With oil extraction, too often, vast pools of chemical sludge are left behind. (Ecuador's Amazon, Nigeria, western Siberia)
Wasn't nuclear fusion supposed to revolutionize the energy industry? Whatever happened to that?
I live next to a Solar farm owned by China. Why doesn't my town own it to power our town?
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You tell us. Why does China own a solar farm producing energy in New Jersey? What do they do with the energy? Are they selling it to your town? Who agreed to give/lease them the land for it? How do you feel about those Lukoil gas stations around PA & NJ? How do people like buying oil from the Russkies?
You tell us. Why does China own a solar farm producing energy in New Jersey? What do they do with the energy? Are they selling it to your town? Who agreed to give/lease them the land for it? How do you feel about those Lukoil gas stations around PA & NJ? How do people like buying oil from the Russkies?
I dont have the time or the will to research this to death to post my findings which will only be criticized.
Since Sandy, Europe developers have been buying up ocean front real estate in the affluent communities.
I avoid Lukoil or any other gas station manned by foreigners. They give you the wrong change and bad gas along with using the American flag as advertising. Definitely don't use a credit or debit card at them.
Some people just don't care and are all about themselves. I care, we are selling off or giving this country to foreign interests and our government is allowing it.
Recycling is still in it's infancy when compared to our fossil fuel dependent situation. The first methods were designed with a view toward not doing anything more than complying with US EPA laws. Offloading the waste to third world nations was a common solution, one which is now coming home to roost in hot debate in an ever greener USA. Like most, I'm a bit skeptical of the claims of alt energy being a savior of our society. In the production of alt energy devices the reliance on oil is still a huge consideration.
One of the better books on alt energy and it's feasibility was written by James Kunstler and titled, "The Long Emergency." in that book he describes the negative aspects of alt energy, and, the often overlooked, nonsensical notions of it being an answer to our dependence on oil. We have built an entire manufacturing and materials technology system upon the back of oil, from the design of products, through the build process, to the shipping of the completed machinery.
We may end up with a much different lifestyle when the truth of things are finally upon us. At present, we want to maintain our levels of mindless consumption, along with our penchant for private individual transportation, big roomy houses for two people, all while attempting to rebuild a sagging national infrastructure that we might not be able to utilize..
For now, the techno-recycling industry will be needing lots of public financial help in order to comply with the myriad of regulations, mostly because the cost of developing the infrastructure to deal with techno-waste is still not cost effective and therefore, has little private support. Like most of the debates surrounding our collective problems, we'll be taking sides, and the politicians will be attempting to cash in on that friction rather than being a force for real positive change..Meanwhile we enter the realm of the long emergency,where some feel the answer is an individual one, while others seek to garner public support for a collective solution.
I am a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright. He believed in the Organic house that fits the landscape and people in the 20's. He designed a mile high skyscraper in 1957 called the Illinois. He wanted to create an American architecture and not follow the European model. I had hoped they would build it or version of it to replace the twin towers, instead they farmed it out to a German Architect Lebisk which was approved and then changed because of the uproar. Big foreign business capitalizing on our darkest time.
I like the Craftsman Style home there handcrafted and should all be off grid. I watch all these ugly energy hog cheap Townhomes being built and thought they should be single family homes with their own power source. I thought of taking my idea to Shark Tank and see where it would go. They can have 80% of the company but I have complete control over the design.
Wasn't nuclear fusion supposed to revolutionize the energy industry? Whatever happened to that?...
A) Fukushima: The tsunami that destroyed that Japanese nuclear plant put a huge damper on the enthusiasm for nuclear power, just as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island did earlier, but Fukushima happened when people were starting again to seriously consider building more U.S. nuclear plants
B)Toshiba: It owned Westinghouse's nuclear building business, which went bankrupt and took Toshiba down with it. Few builders want to start new plants seeing how Toshiba/westinghouse ended up.
C)Yucca Flats: And we'll put all that spent nuclear fuel where? No consensus yet on how to dispose of the stuff and looks like it may be years before there is. It's the classic NIMBY syndrome.
Of course all this is for nuclear fission. Clean, cheap nuclear fusion is still pie-in-the-sky. A few experimental reactors in Europe I think, but nothing yet market-ready. Every power source has downsides, though. I'm sure when they think they've perfected fusion reactors they'll find problems with them too.
.....For now, the techno-recycling industry will be needing lots of public financial help in order to comply with the myriad of regulations, mostly because the cost of developing the infrastructure to deal with techno-waste is still not cost effective and therefore, has little private support. Like most of the debates surrounding our collective problems, we'll be taking sides, and the politicians will be attempting to cash in on that friction rather than being a force for real positive change..Meanwhile we enter the realm of the long emergency,where some feel the answer is an individual one, while others seek to garner public support for a collective solution.
Excellent post. For six decades I've been striving to live by Thoreau's caveat "Simplify. Simplify. Simplify."
But doing so poses a problem for society. If we all lived a frugal, non-consumeristic lifestyle, millions would become jobless. Industry would grind to a halt. The economy would fail.
Living simply and frugally is an advantage to us who do it and we should keep it a secret from the others. Remember, Noah didn't try to save everyone
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