Experts Caution That the Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy Needs Scrutiny

As renewables like solar and wind energy become more integrated into the global energy mix, experts are calling for increased scrutiny into the potential environmental effects of the world’s growing green energy capacity.

Although wind, solar, hydropower, and other sources of renewable energy produce zero emissions when used, the entire renewable energy production pipeline isn’t completely emission-free. Renewables themselves may produce little to no harmful greenhouse gas emissions, but their production can be quite energy-intensive, and their negative effects on the environment should not be understated.

Compared to fossil fuels like gasoline or coal, renewables are undoubtedly the cleaner option. But this doesn’t mean they have zero negative impact on the environment, and experts are warning against treating renewables as a perfect solution to fossil fuel-caused pollution.

SOS Rural platform spokesperson Natalia Corbalán even questions the use of “green” to describe alternative energies and technologies like renewables and electric cars, explaining that the term generally refers to caring for the land, cultivating it, and preserving the environment.

One of the most poignant examples of renewables working against the environment is in Jaén, a Spanish province where two dozen planned solar projects threaten the existence of over 100,000 olive trees. In response, organizations like the Campiña Norte platform, the Asociación Ecología y Libertad, and SOS Rural have begun a macro-court case to halt the construction of the planned photovoltaic solar plants and protect critical farmland.

Wind energy also has its own impact on the environment, with offshore wind projects causing environmental issues such as altering natural habitats during construction and negatively affecting seabird migratory routes, which increases the risk of collisions significantly.

Furthermore, mining and extracting the materials needed to construct photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines can have major environmental effects, as large mining projects often do. Electric vehicles and EV batteries also require specific raw materials in their construction, and mining and processing these minerals can have such a large impact on the environment that it negates some of the gains made by using an EV over an internal combustion engine (ICE) car.

As long as these issues remain unaddressed, renewable energies and green technologies such as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) can’t be considered fully green.

Experts acknowledge the role of renewables in global efforts to fight climate change, but stress the importance of deploying them in a more calculated and responsible fashion. According to International University of Valencia researcher Jato Espino, poor strategic planning in renewable energy deployment can lead to social rejection, diminish landscape integrity, and cause conflicts with established practices like fishing and agriculture.

Since Spain could theoretically use under 2% of its territory to generate enough clean energy to cover all its energy needs, WWF Spain Head of Climate and Energy Mar Asunción says the country can construct renewable energy facilities in low-impact zones to limit their effect on the environment.

The issues that these researchers and organizations raise merit serious consideration, and clean energy industry players like PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) (Cboe CA: SUNN) (FSE: 103) may need to scrutinize their supply chains more closely in order to reassure end-consumers that everything has been done to minimize the eco-impact of their products.

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