Do the research on ’green’ energy

Editor:

The left is excited since Joe Biden announced his $2.3 Trillion “American Jobs Plan” to counter climate change, promising a 50 percent reduction in CO2 by 2030.

Certainly we all want to save the planet for future generations, but there is much to consider.

The big push is for green energy, wind and solar.

Wind generators use steel, concrete, wood, fiberglass, oil and cooper.

That requires mining, milling, manufacturing, harvesting, transportation, which use fossil fuel and emit CO2.

Life expectancy is about 25 to 30 years and turbine blades cannot be recycled and head to the landfill, makes the left’s concern about plastic straws look silly.

Solar panels are expected to last about the same, 25 to 30 years, and like wind need subsidies to be affordable.

Wind and solar installations require millions of acres and disrupt the environment and wildlife including birds and bats.

Both green sources are intermittent and need battery storage or fossil fuel backup.

Note: During the February 2021 Texas power crisis (they were unprepared for severe winter storms) over 5 million people lost power and 111 died.

Rare earth metals and minerals, lithium, cobalt, copper, iridium, dysprosium, nickel, graphite are mined for battery manufacturing.

China makes two-thirds of the batteries with 70 percent of its grid powered by coal.

Making a half-ton battery for an electric car needs 250 tons of raw materials mined from the earth.

Eventually 35 percent of earth surface, excluding Antarctica, will be needed for mining.

You can do the research with your computer or smartphone using power from CO2 emitting fossil fuel.

Leland Graber

Wayland