Links tagged “solar”

Wind and solar do not eliminate the need for traditional power plants. This is the most disappointing problem of all. Because of intermittency, a backup system must always be on standby, ready to seamlessly take over the full load the instant the wind stops or the sun sets. The dominant source of that backup in the United States is natural gas (methane)—an improvement over coal but still a carbon-generating fossil fuel. Perhaps that is why so many fossil fuel companies strongly support renewables even as ExxonMobil and other fossil companies are budgeting billions over the next decade to expand their fossil fuel production. They seem to believe that wind and solar are, far from being a threat, a way to ensure a continuing need for their fossil fuels.

The Green New Deal would cause “significant environmental damage” and require “massive land use,” according to a new report. "There is the wildlife destruction caused by the production of renewable power,” reads the new report.

“There is the heavy-metal pollution created by the production process for wind turbines,” Zycher wrote in his report, which was released Wednesday.“There are the noise and flicker effects of wind turbines. There are the large problems of solar panel waste and toxic metals,” Zycher wrote.