{"id":376720,"date":"2025-04-28T18:04:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T16:04:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=376720"},"modified":"2025-04-28T18:05:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T16:05:00","slug":"green-delusion-solar-panels-are-a-one-off-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=376720","title":{"rendered":"Green Delusion: Solar Panels are a \u201cOne Off\u201d Investment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except when struck by hail, hurricanes, floods or ordinary wear and tear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Apr 24, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energy<\/a>, News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At energy security talks, US pushes gas and derides renewables<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US envoy to the IEA\u2019s energy security summit criticised renewables, arguing that they cause power cuts and increase reliance on China<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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While the leaders of the UK, European Union (EU) and ministers from Barbados and Colombia argued that clean energy provides energy security, ministers and officials from oil and gas producers like the US, Iraq and Egypt said that fossil fuels should remain part of the energy system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while his Iraqi counterpart boasted of using more renewables alongside oil and gas, the US Department of Energy\u2019s Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of International Affairs Tommy Joyce criticised renewables too, arguing that they cause power cuts and increase reliance on China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Von der Leyen argued that \u201cclean homegrown renewables\u201d strengthen the bloc\u2019s resilience, while at the same time spurring new jobs and innovation. \u201cAs our energy dependency goes down, our energy security goes up. That is a lesson we have learnt in Europe,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ministers from Barbados, Colombia, France and Spain echoed these messages. Colombia\u2019s mines and energy minister Edwin Palma Egea said<\/a>clean energy would be cheaper in his country, where many people \u201chave to choose between paying for energy or to eat \u2013 that is a dilemma for them\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to journalists in a briefing before the summit, energy experts said that relying on other countries for equipment like solar panels and wind turbines is preferable to relying on them for fuel. Ember\u2019s Europe programme director Sarah Brown said\u00a0importing fossil fuels involves \u201cconstant risk, constant cost\u201d whereas importing machinery like solar panels is a one-off on both fronts.<\/strong>

\u2026Read more:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2025\/04\/24\/at-energy-security-talks-us-pushes-gas-and-derides-renewables\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Obviously there were no engineers in the room, or if there were they weren\u2019t talking. Renewables are anything but one off investments. Alumina<\/s> Aluminum components corrode, especially in salty environments, glass panels are blasted by sand and other abrasives, or ripped apart by storms, and plastics, like electrical wire insulation, crumble into dust, especially under the intense ultraviolet of tropical climates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbados might think they are purchasing a one off investment \u2013 but they\u2019ll learn otherwise the first time a tropical cyclone rips through their new renewable showcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that Europe has to worry too much about tornadoes and ultraviolet corrosion of plastic \u2013 the challenge in Europe is getting enough sunlight to produce energy, especially in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about wind power?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dirty secret of wind is in some ways it is even worse than solar, when it comes to maintenance difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bearings: The Achilles Heel of Wind Turbines<\/a><\/blockquote>