batteries impose hidden environmental costs for wind and solar power - battery power storage

Renewable energy advocates
Power generation battery is a way to make wind energy and solar energy competitive with traditional power economically.
However, the environmental impact of battery production and disposal is huge and may exceed zero-
Wind and solar energy emissions.
Wind and solar have a real
The world capacity factor is about 30%, which means that the vagaries of sunlight and wind speed prevent these power supplies from generating more than 30% of the power capacity.
For example, when a press release from a new solar project claims that the project can provide enough power to power XXX people in town X, divide this number by 3 to determine the actual power generated.
In addition, because the power output is different, can not be pre-
In the case of precise planning, the wind and solar energy rated at 10 units are lower than the conventional power value rated at 3 units.
In addition, sufficient conventional power must be built and ready to generate electricity in the event of darkness, cloud cover or insufficient wind to keep wind and solar power close to zero production.
Advocates of wind and solar power often tell us that we should ignore these shortcomings, because next
Power generation battery, large enough, efficient enough, can be on-
What is coming is demand usage.
For many reasons, this statement is very questionable.
But even if the battery technology is about to make a major breakthrough, the battery-
In fact, wind and solar energy are good for the environment?
This problem is important because the environmental impact is more than just emissions from power plants.
Wind and solar advocates often cite the lack of emissions from wind and solar and suggest zero emissions end the environmental survey.
If so, however, zero
The environmental benefits of nuclear energy and hydropower are no less than that of wind and solar energy.
In reality, we must look at all the hazards and benefits of various energy sources to the environment, and emissions are only an important factor.
The energy Post published an article Friday documenting many of the environmental impacts of electric and hybrid car batteries.
Many of these impacts will apply to batteries that store electricity generated by wind and solar facilities.
The impact is serious and sober.
First, many metals and minerals need to be mined to produce batteries.
The exploitation of lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel and other materials can cause serious harm to the environment.
For example, the production of lithium from ore "requires changes in land use-clearing land, mining and storing waste stones.
A lot of energy and chemical use is needed to get the final product, "energy Post notes.
An alternative method of producing lithium from the naturally existing underground salt water needs to pump the salt water from the underground and create large ponds for the evaporation of the salt water.
The water supply in the desert area has been affected.
It also uses some chemicals for purification . "
When the battery is exhausted, there is a disposal problem with environmental problems.
Traditional landfill sites must deal with toxic waste from batteries.
Recycling batteries can minimize toxic corrosion, but this increases the cost of batteries.
In addition, recycling also brings environmental problems.
Both disposal and recycling, EPA has released a comprehensive report documenting the negative environmental impact of battery production and use.
Batteries are just an integral part of the negative impact of wind and solar energy on the environment.
Rare earth minerals are essential for wind and solar equipment and batteries needed for power storage.
Rare earth mining is a process that destroys the environment.
In addition, solar power generation facilities, especially wind power, need to develop large areas of land.
Hundreds of square miles of wind turbines need to generate the same power as a single conventional power plant, and the best location for wind turbines is often eco-sensitive coastal coastlines, peak ridges, and open plains
Transporting wind from these locations to the center of the city requires the construction of new power lines and the destruction of more primitive land.
In the United States, wind turbines themselves have killed more than a million birds and bats each year, including many endangered and protected species.
The lesson to be learned is that all energy sources, including wind energy and solar energy, pose unique environmental hazards.
Wind and solar energy may not produce any emissions, but so will nuclear and hydropower.
Natural gas can only generate a small amount of emissions.
Even if we think that the climate problem will lift electricity emissions to the most important environmental impact, we must
Spectrum environment analysis.
The reason was discussed in the previous Forbes.
Com column, from the perspective of environmental impact, the full range of environmental factors make solar energy equal to nuclear energy, hydropower and natural gas.
Wind power is worse than solar, nuclear, hydro and natural gas.
The negative impact of battery storage on the environment will exacerbate the environmental impact of wind and solar energy.
Wind and solar power may one day compete economically with natural gas, nuclear power and hydro power.
This has not happened yet.
At the same time, nuclear power and hydropower can provide reliable emissions
Free power is more affordable than wind and solar.
Natural gas will produce a small amount of emissions, but better than wind and solar in other important environmental aspects.
Wise decision makers will take all of these factors into account and resist calls to block nuclear, hydro and natural gas power generation on environmental grounds.