Reality is both consistent and objective, and because it is, bad ideas produce adverse results—you could also think of it as “every good tree bringeth forth good fruit” while “a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”
Well here’s another exhibit in the litany of leftist disasters which masqueraded as sound environmental “policy,” reported by The College Fix yesterday:
‘Since 2010, over 5,000 acres of natural and working lands have been destroyed for solar development in Massachusetts, resulting in the emission of over half a million metric tons of CO₂— more than the annual emissions of 100,000 passenger cars,’ Mass Audobon [sic] stated in a summary of its study with Harvard Forest.
‘Under current siting practices, thousands of acres of forests, farms, and other carbon-rich landscapes are being converted to host large-scale solar,’ the report stated.
Well isn’t that just great. (I’m not so much concerned with the “emissions” boogeyman as I am with the destruction of the environment.) Bulldozing the beautiful green landscape of Massachusetts to replace the trees and forests with unsightly black panels, all in a bid to make the earth “greener.” This kind of stuff really makes me question my own sanity—how is this even real?
Solar technology is totally unreliable and inconsistent, with the panels only working when the sun shines—obviously, they don’t produce any energy during the night, or when clouds obscure sunlight.
It’s impractical, as the entire industry has received nearly endless amounts of cash infusions and subsidies, which time and again, proved to be money-sucking fiascoes—think Solyndra.
When these panels reach the end of their lifespan, they become piles of toxic waste, as they contain high amounts of heavy metals; from a report at Foundation for Economic Education:
According to cancer biologist David H. Nguyen, PhD, toxic chemicals in solar panels include cadmium telluride, copper indium selenide, cadmium gallium (di)selenide, copper indium gallium (di)selenide, hexafluoroethane, lead, and polyvinyl fluoride. Silicon tetrachloride, a byproduct of producing crystalline silicon, is also highly toxic.
…
Based on installed capacity and power-related weight, we can estimate that by 2016, photovoltaics had spread about 11,000 tons of lead and about 800 tons of cadmium. A hazard summary of cadmium compounds produced by the EPA points out that exposure to cadmium can lead to serious lung irritation and long-lasting impairment of pulmonary functions. Exposure to lead hardly needs further explanation.
As PragerU also noted of the looming trash crisis:
By 2050, the disposal of worn-out solar panels will constitute over double the tonnage of all of today’s global plastic waste.
Oh, and the solar system (panels, wiring, inverter) also pose additional health risks, thanks to the radiation these components all emit—but not to worry, the industry promises that it’s only a “harmless” amount.
So on top of all that, now there’s another cost, and that is we have to sacrifice our green landscapes to accommodate these “green” installations?
No thanks.
Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.