Backlash Against Renewables Surged In 2021, With 31 Big Wind And 13 Big Solar Projects Vetoed Across US
“Despite the many false claims about the land intensity of renewables, the physics and the math don’t lie. The incurably low power density of wind and solar energy (which are the subject of a 10-minute TED-style talk I gave last week) means that they require cartoonish amounts of land.”
Storm season has the US solar industry looking to protect assets from costly hail damage
“The destructive potential of hail on solar arrays has only been fully realized in the last two years. In this series, pv magazine talks with experts in storm modeling, risk insurance, and damage mitigation to learn how solar arrays can survive nature’s wrath.”
Small Solar Installations for Ontario Farmers: FACT SHEET
“However, OFA is concerned that large scale solar development on good farm land is ill-suited to Ontario. In temperate farming areas OFA believes solar will cause erosion…”
Renewables Generated Demand For Rare Earths Generating Toxic & Lasting Legacy
“As the demand for rare earth minerals continues to grow, principally driven by subsidised wind and solar and all-EVs, so too does the mountain of toxic filth left behind during mining and, particularly, processing.”
“Sharp rise” being seen in solar farm fires: Firetrace International
“A recent study by Firetrace International, a leading provider of fire suppression technology, indicates that solar farm fires are seeing a sharp rise.”
US scientists expected to announce long-awaited nuclear fusion breakthrough
“The US Department of Energy is expected to announce Tuesday that scientists have for the first time successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain”
How Do Different Types of Renewable Energy Affect the Environment?
“Solar-powered panels and plants can provide tremendous amounts of clean energy, especially in places where there are yearlong sun and heat. However, solar farms can impact animal habitats just as much as coal plants.”
Video Every Town Official Should View Before Considering Solar
This presentation should be viewed by every town official in every town across the country. Although prepared for Michigan townships, it applies everywhere. PLEASE VIEW THIS VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE!
Growing Land War: Real Farmers Fight Back Against Wind & Solar Onslaught
“The wind and solar industry’s proven ability to destroy a nation’s ability to power itself, is being matched by its capacity to destroy a nation’s ability to feed itself."
Loud and clear: Culpeper County planners support solar plants on industrial land only
“After many months of consideration and a lot of public input, the Culpeper County Planning Commission has recommended largescale solar power plants—none yet built here in the past four years—be limited to development on land zoned for industrial use and not farmland.”
Industrial solar exploits Kentucky's farmland for outside interests
“Why, then, are out-of-state and foreign-owned solar developers targeting Kentucky’s agricultural land? Because utility-scale solar projects have more to do with harvesting tax credits than harvesting sunlight.”
Biden-Backed Solar Company Lied About Effectiveness of Solar Modules, Lawsuit Says
“Investors are suing a Biden-backed solar energy company that received a $500 million federal loan last month, claiming the company lied to shareholders about the effectiveness and financial viability of its solar modules.”
The dark side of ‘green energy’ and its threat to the nation’s environment
“Solar arrays have a life cycle of about 30 years, but the rapid adoption of solar in the United States and elsewhere has the problem of disposal creeping up in the rearview mirror — faster rather than later.”
Solar farm under stop-work order; Campbell Co. residents concerned about road damage
“Multiple Campbell County residents are filing complaints with the county, Virginia Dept. of Transportation and Dept. of Environmental Quality over declining road conditions on Leesville road where crews are building a solar farm.”
“Although the stated reason for the law was to prevent environmental damage from hazardous materials within solar panels, some hope it will discourage developers from pursuing large-scale solar projects in the county.”
Solar Energy: Yes or No?
I’m Dr. Calvin Luther Martin, retired Rutgers University professor of history (with, incidentally, graduate training in molecular biology/immunology and B.A. degree in biology). I am part of FARM, a bunch of crusty NYS old-timers who sized up the industrial solar proposition — and decided “no.”
Farms Under Threat: The State of The States
Between 2001 and 2016, 11 million acres of farmland and ranchland were converted to urban and highly developed land use (4.1 million acres) or low-density residential land use (nearly 7 million acres). That’s equal to all the U.S. farmland devoted to fruit, nut, and vegetable production in 2017—or 2,000 acres a day paved over, built up, and converted to uses that threaten the future of agriculture.
Solar Leases: Landowners Beware
When a solar company approaches a landowner seeking to lease his 150-acre farm, there is a likelihood that the company does not intend to utilize the entire 150 acres for its solar facilities. Instead, the company may propose to use only 50 acres, while reserving easements over the rest of the acreage. These easements are not “paid” for and restrict the landowner’s use of his undeveloped and underutilized land. In this case, the landowner who thought he would receive $150,000 per year ($1,000 per acre based on 150 acres), will receive $50,000 per year.
Landowner Leasing for Utility Scale Solar Farms
“Converting farmland to solar – this is a long term commitment. Are you ready to make this dramatic change to your land's usage? How will it impact your life and the community around you?”
More solar panels mean more waste and there’s no easy solution
“Usually, panels are warrantied for 25 to 30 years and can last even longer. But as the solar industry has grown, the market has been flooded with cheaply made Chinese panels that can break down in as few as five years”
GenX concerns cloud possible expansion of solar facility
“County officials haven’t shown interest in the possible link between the solar panels and water pollution because solar developers spend a lot in the community. She faults state officials for failing to research the safety of imported solar panels.”
Negative Effects of Solar Energy
“Large utility-scale solar panels take up a lot of space, which can result in environmental degradation and habitat loss. Solar farms that cover a large amount of land are likely to have an impact on the local fauna and flora, particularly on birds. Solar farms can also inhibit local vegetation growth and damage agriculture.”
What the Walmart solar panel fires tell us about solar safety... and about Tesla
“of Tesla’s solar systems on Walmart’s roofs are going up in flames (i.e. 7 out of 240), and it is clear that Tesla’s fail rate is not just unusual, but shockingly high.”
Corn fields help clean up and protect the environment
“After many decades of being pointed to as a source of environmental issues, field crop agriculture is being looked to as one of the solutions to global climate change. The basis for this environmental remediation affect is corn’s and other crops’ tremendous potential to remove carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.”
MINES, MINERALS, AND “GREEN” ENERGY: A REALITY CHECK
“All forms of green energy require roughly comparable quantities of materials in order to build machines that capture nature’s flows: sun, wind, and water.”
Franklin County Farmer Wary of Leasing Land for Solar
“Also, every time you take away farmland, it’s a negative long-term impact to the economy because you’re also taking away seed sales, tractor and machinery sales, supplies and even the potential to build houses.”
RESPONSIBLE SOLAR REQUIRES LOCAL ORDINANCES
“Without a Solar Ordinance, counties are not protected from energy corporations that want to destroy rural land.”
These industrial-scale solar plants on rural-agricultural land are irresponsible
“These industrial-scale solar plants on rural-agricultural land are irresponsible. Citizens for Responsible Solar does not support the destruction of the environment in this manner.”
New cash crop: Industrial-solar-farm boom hits Hoosier backlash
“One of the nation’s largest solar complexes is planned for Pulaski County in northern Indiana. The $1 billion development would encompass
4,500 acres and generate enough electricity to power 80,000 homes, more power than all the existing solar systems in the state combined.”
Achtung Baby! (It’s Cold Outside) – Germany’s ‘Green’ Energy Fail Rescued by Coal and Gas
“Germany now finds itself in the dead of winter. Much of the country has seen considerable snowfall, meaning solar panels are often covered by snow and thus rendered useless.”