Solar panel advice

[Compo 10,328]

Regardless of the monetary price there is the environmental and human price to pay for renewables. this is a price that no developer talks about. Rare Earth minerals are not called that for nowt. They are scarce and essential for renewable power generation. This means that they are of a premium price and so valuable that in the few places where they are found, the populations and land have been devastated in order to extract the minerals. There are two main centres for strip mining rare earth minerals;  The Congo and China. Mining in the Congo has led to a civil war being fought over the lands and many people being either ousted from their tribal land or simply annihilated. Similarly, in China thousands of farmers have been removed and the land torn apart, mile after mile, for the minerals. The environmental damage is massive but who cares? Renewables are "Clean, green energy"...Grrr!

[philmayfield 6,115]

This is the problem with so called ‘green’ energy. The  materials have to be looked at over the whole life cycle from gaining the materials to the eventual disposal and reclamation. These processes are not CO2 free and make the product substantially less green.

[MargieH 7,599]

Does Hydro electric power need expensive minerals to run it after the initial cost of setting up the power plant?Or wave/tidal power (which is also HEP of course.). I’m genuinely curious.

For the sake of future generations we have to do something as our selfish energy-greedy lifestyles are hell bent on destroying the planet  in one way or another.  
 

[TBI 2,351]

No Margie, it doesn't. Hydropower is also the lowest carbon.

 

Whilst many are uncomfortable with it for obvious reasons, the most effective form of energy with low carbon is nuclear energy. 

[MargieH 7,599]

TBI. Thank you for replying.  I think nuclear energy is OK except for getting rid of the waste of course.

[Brew 5,405]

Sadly successive government screw ups mean we have more of a problem with waste than most other nuclear nations.

[radfordred 6,284]

Fenwick Road & Close area of Broxtowe gone panel mad 

 

[benjamin1945 16,139]

Played Cricket for Padstow school back in the 50s there... cant remember who against,,,but during the game one of the houses backing on to the ground was playing very loud music....and someone was knocked out by the ball hitting his head            I got a good laugh in Assembly when i read the report (which i always did) telling everyone the lad was carried off to the tune of 'Diana' by Paul Anka.......so i reckon it would have been 1959..