Page 66 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2021

TAILGATE
New Offerings for the Sustainable Minded

Coming Out

of the Dark

Ron Jones
Co-Founder and President
®
Green Builder Media
ron.jones@greenbuildermedia.com

ESIDING AS WE DO IN A RATHER REMOTE The second writer also appeared to oppose the move toward
location in the southern Rockies, my wife and renewables, pointing out that the waste from these systems,
I rely on a rural co-op for our electric power. including decommissioned solar panels (which contain lead
Given the vast region they cover, the challenging and cadmium) and wind blades, are unsuitable for landfills.
varieties of terrain they must contend with, and He asserted that the United States is “expected to have 78 million
the often extreme winter weather conditions metric tons of solar panel waste by 2050” and that “an estimated
here, they are remarkably reliable and customer 720,000 tons of blades need to be disposed of over the next
friendly. 20 years.”
We benefit from an unusually high ratio of No source for these figures was quoted. He also did not mention
R underground power lines that help keep the that there are more than 3 million abandoned oil and gas wells
current flowing during blizzards and wildfire events. We also currently spread across the country, many of which are leaking
have dedicated field crews who respond immediately whenever immense volumes of methane and other chemicals into the
issues do arise. We appreciate the co-op’s progressive embrace atmosphere and polluting ground water.
of renewables and conservation. The final letter bemoaned the pending closure of three coal-
At the beginning of each month, we receive the co-op’s fired power plants in the region without acknowledging the
magazine, a handsome, well-written publication that includes emissions from these plants or the vast amounts of water each
a good deal of information important to electric customers. It of them consumes in order to generate kilowatts. The writer
also features a few letters to the editor from readers. I found went on to say, “The wind doesn’t always blow. The sun doesn’t
the comments in one recent issue somewhat confounding and always shine. Natural gas is cleaner than coal, but the city of
disturbing. Denver doesn’t want new houses that use natural gas. We have
The first letter came from a customer who took issue with an abundance of carbon-based fuels.”
the move toward renewables. She cited instances when snow It’s true, we do have an abundance of fossil fuels, but ask
and ice had brought down power lines and drought had turned the folks that suffered catastrophic power outages last winter
pastures to dust bowls. A wildfire had also destroyed her home. if they think that system is foolproof. We can all see where that
She declared that she was “not sure how renewable energy would reliance has taken our environment, if we are only willing to
have prevented any of those problems.” look around.
Aside from presenting the obvious consideration of Climate Each of those energy customers, in their own way, is expressing
Change and how it may have been a contributing factor, my resistance to progress, or perhaps to put it more bluntly, fear
response would be to ask this person how renewables could of change. Let’s hope that their power stays on, uninterrupted,
possibly be responsible for those maladies or how they could and that it helps illuminate the path for them (and all of us) to a
have made them worse. brighter future. GB

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