What is to be done when people are plowing ahead with new coal power plants, despite the threat of climate change, and people are simultaneously forgetting about the expense, risk, and contamination associated with nuclear power? Impose a two-year moratorium on new solar projects, clearly. This at a time when we have eight years or so to stabilize total global emissions, before starting a long and deep decline – from over thirty gigatonnes per year to under five, within the lifetime of those now starting to ponder retirement.
Clearly, environmental issues relating to solar power stations need to be considered – just as bird strikes as so forth must be considered in relation to wind. That being said, a moratorium on the technology at the same time as oil sands and shale oil production are ramping up seems like hypocrisy.
Interesting to say the least. I’m currently doing a financial analysis of two solar power firms and realize not just the environmental issues this raises, but the financial impact this will have on the volatile, high-risk industry. Like you said, the need to understand the environmental impact of creating these plants is important, but it doesn’t make sense to put a stop to all applications, especially considering entire fleets of ducks are dying simply by landing in ponds near the oil sands. Ha. Nice world.
How to strangle an industry, the concern troll way
BLM contemplates two-year moratorium on solar power plant construction in the West
Posted by David Roberts at 3:12 AM on 27 Jun 2008
US Solar Moratorium Canceled
By Emily Murgatroyd on US
The US government has backtracked on the moratorium on new solar powered projects it announced less than 2 weeks ago.
In a news release today, the Bureau of Land Management announced that:
In response to public interest in solar energy development, it plans to continue accepting applications for future potential solar development on the public lands. The BLM will process these applications, while continuing to identify issues during public scoping currently underway for the programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).